


Spirit Animal

by Yasuhiro_Naoki



Category: Love Live! School Idol Project
Genre: Arson, Blood, Experiment, F/F, Family Loss, Gen, Government, Magic, OOC, Other, Slow Burn, Spirit Animal AU, Supernatural AU - Freeform, Twisted Plot and not Plot Twist, magician
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-29
Updated: 2019-06-13
Packaged: 2019-06-18 01:04:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 46
Words: 144,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15474087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yasuhiro_Naoki/pseuds/Yasuhiro_Naoki
Summary: An arsonist was spreading fire across the whole of Otonokizaka, burning families along its wake.Luckily, nine girls will try to stop him, along with their Spirit Animals. But how long will it take for them to track him down? And the Magician? The Government? What about the Lone Savage?They’ll have to figure it out, before chaos ensues.





	1. Episode 1

**Author's Note:**

> Ah... probably the worst fanfiction of Love Live ever. But at least I managed to make one... I think...
> 
> Well, beware of unnecessary plots along the way if you read this story.

"Kotori?"

More sweat came down.

"Kotori-chan?"

Her face scrunched up, wrinkles quickly adorning her forehead.

"Kotori!"

Heartbeat rampaging aloud.

"KOTORI!!!"

A heave of breath.

Kotori woke up, drenched in sweat and tears, body shaking uncontrollably, breath as heavy and short, eyes bloodshot.

Another nightmare.

"Kotori-chan...," Hanayo, one of Kotori's friend and housemate, went by her side and shrunk down so she was of the same height as Kotori's current position, "Did you have another nightmare?", she asked as soft as her normal voice was, gentle and kind.

Swallowing a bit, she shook her head up and down, eyes closing shut, mouth trying to control her breathing, hands gripping the covers as tightly as her strength could deliver.

Her other housemate, Nozomi, went to the other side of her bed, bending her legs so that they were all of the same height, holding one of Kotori's cold and flimsy hands onto her own, clutching it for dear life.

"We're here for you. No matter what. So please...," she then brought her hand close to her heart, "Rely on us more. Okay?"

Kotori, albeit a bit shaky and unwilling, raised her head and looked at Hanayo and Nozomi respectively, giving both of them a quivering smile and gulped down a mouthful of saliva that was slowly building up from her mouth.

"... Mmm...," she gripped her hands that were being held by her two friends—no, by her family. It was being held by her family.

Her only remaining family.

 

 

* * *

 

 

"So was it about the arson again?", the purple-haired girl, Nozomi, asked Kotori as she ate a spoonful of soup.

The gray-haired girl bit her lower lip, but nodded nonetheless. "It was a bit traumatic on my end... but overall, I'm not really the only victim, so I can't just be selfish right now..."

"B-But even so! It's still affecting you, so it's okay to be selfish. It's not bad, really...," the short brown-haired teen, Hanayo, argued, a light shade of pink on her cheeks, but resolve was evident in her eyes.

Nozomi nodded at the youngest girl's comment and looked at her one-year younger friend who has a smile on her face after Hanayo's opinion of her thoughts. "Hanayo's right. You can be selfish at times, but just because you are doesn't mean you're not thinking of other people, you know. It just means that you're worried about your well-being, just as much as you care for others," she gave an advice of her own, perks of being the oldest and all.

Kotori shook her thoughts away, being replaced by the memories of her two best friends just accompanying her through thick and thin.

"Thanks, you two. I just needed that...," she quickly wiped the upcoming tears before they even had the time to shed.

Hanayo chuckled, "Everyone has their bad days. Just that, yours was one of them that occured today," she played with the hem of her skirt as another wave of pink shades dusted themselves on her cheeks.

Nozomi grinned and pulled out her deck of cards, the usual tarot cards that she uses for her daily readings, "Well, with this kind of bad day, we'll need some spiritual power from the cards", she was about to pick up the upper card on her deck when a knock was heard at the door.

Kotori stood up from her seat, rushing towards the door while saying 'I'll get it!' as she went.

She opened the door of their home, to be greeted with two figures, both with the approximate same height as the gray-haired girl. One was a girl that had short orange hair with a fistful of them tied to a side ponytail and the other was another girl with dark blue hair that was straightened and flowed freely on her back.

"May I help you?", Kotori chirped, almost faking her cheery tone, but it was not far from her usual greeting, so whatever she felt at the moment didn't seem to affect how happily she delivered her greeting.

The blue-haired girl bowed slightly, "I was wondering if this place was the home of the three famous police officers around Otonokizaka, am I correct?", she inquired in a quiet but precise demeanor.

Nozomi and Hanayo, curious as to who were at the door, emerged from behind and glanced at the two visitors, one who seems to be serious about the topic and the other that looks like she was spacing out and not relating to their conversation.

"Yes, that would be us. Do you have a case that we can help with?", she smiled at them, leaving the bluenette with a blush at how cute it is (What am I thinking?! Shameless!!—thoughts of the blue-haired girl) and the oranged-haired girl... still out of it.

Of course, the purple-haired girl saw this and a thought quickly came to life in her head, but she kept it to herself, her teal green eyes glinting with mystery.

"Well... I was hoping that you can help us with a case of...," she muttered the last word.

Hanayo heard it, and it made her eyes go wide, but the other two sadly didn't, "Could you repeat that?", Kotori asked again.

"...," it took the bluenette quite a while before she repeated the word, "... arson..."

Not surprising, the other two had the same expression as Hanayo, but quicky  went over it, "So I can safely assume that you are also a victim?", Nozomi asked, confused when the bluenette shook her head.

"My parents were actually dead from the start, seen at a forest in Hokkaido about ten years ago. But I did a research on their deaths, and I've come to a conclusion that the murderer and the arsonist are one and the same", the blue-haired girl explained, "Of course, that is just a theory, and I'm not a hundred percent sure of its accuracy. But I can prove it if I had enough evidence."

She then pointed at the girl next to her, "She was actually the one who was a victim of an arson."

At the mention of her being the victim, her features went limp, face solemn and sad, "Yeah... just about a week ago, I caught my house on fire. Luckily my little sister was with me so she wasn't caught, but Mom and Dad... they...," tears started to build up on the edge of her blue eyes, making them glisten in the sunlight.

The bluenette gave her friend a sympathetic glance, her dark golden brown eyes glazed with concern, "We were both unfortunate with our family, so we kindly ask for your help," she bowed a hundred and eighty degrees, "Please!"

The orange-haired girl followed, "Please help us!"

The three couldn't help but stare at them, with the same caring and understanding gaze. 'So they were the same as us...', they all had the same thoughts, but it was not surprising. Not in the least. After all, they had been together for almost more than a decade.

Kotori clasped her hands together, a smile making its way to her face, "Well then, we can't leave these two alone on their problem now, can we?", she turned around and glanced at her two friends, who were wearing the same expression as she was.

"Of course not. After all, we're after the same guy, why not join forces?", Nozomi proposed, making the two clients tense up a bit.

It was quite sudden.

"Uhm... there's no need to go that far. We just—"

"Oh hush now~ No need to worry. We are all a family if this keeps up! Besides, I reckon the two of you don't have a place to stay at the moment, yes?", The purple-haired girl cut off the bluenette's sentence as she placed her hands on her hips.

The blue-eyed girl bounced up in happiness as she heard that, "Really?! We can?! Umi-chan! Umi-chan! They said we can stay at their place! That means we can't bother Tsubasa-chan anymore and let her make us sleep at her office's front door!", she exclaimed in glee.

The three police officers, as the bluenette stated, were clueless at what the orange-haired girl was saying.

"Umi...chan?"

"Tsubasa...sleep..."

"...Front door?!"

"Honoka! We can't just bother them about that! And be grateful because Tsubasa managed to convince her manager to let us at least sleep on the floor at their office! Or would you have rather considered having to camp out at night for more than half a decade?!", the bluenette, apparently named Umi as to what the orange-haired girl, Honoka stated, scolded her with her brows furrowed.

Honoka just pouted and muttered a "sorry" under her breath, but she shut up. Umi then faced the other three, "Sorry about that. It's just..."

"We have three extra rooms, actually a lot of extra rooms. But there are only four available at the moment," Nozomi interjected, a grin on her face, making the other two shudder in fear, "Since there are five of us, I'd have to ask Umi to room in with Kotori."

Kotori, suddenly being called, blinked furiously, then reacted, "Eh?! Why is Umi in my room?!"

"Y-Yeah, I mean, Umi and Honoka can just share the other room," 'Besides, there are other available rooms, in total of nine, so why...?', Hanayo thought, but didn't say. She was a bit curious about what Nozomi was doing.

The purple-haired woman just smiled, "The other room is really small, so I don't think Umi and Honoka will fit there, so why not have Umi move to Kotori's room?"

"Why can't I just move in with Kotori-chan instead of Umi?", Honoka asked curiously, not noticing her honorifics of the gray-haired girl.

Nozomi just grinned, "Because...," she went closer to Honoka, whispered something, then backed away, giving Honoka some space to register her opinion.

Honoka being Honoka, she smiled like a miracle just happened, and suddenly agreed to Nozomi's choice of their rooms, "Yeah, that would be great! I guess Umi-chan will sleep with Kotori-chan then!"

The bluenette was taken aback, so was Kotori. "Eh? Why me though...?", Umi was also curious, but Nozomi seems to have different plans, and it didn't have anything to do with telling Umi about it.

"Just for a change of pace. I think Kotori could use a roommate now and then. And why not have someone of the same age as her?", the purple-haired woman said.

Again, Umi was surprised, "H-How did you know that I was the same age as Kotori?"

"Hmm... just a guess. And I was right. Hehe~", was the reply of the sly older girl.

Umi just sighed, "You're very weird," she muttered.

"Thank you~"

"It wasn't a compliment!"

"Hehee~ I guess we're all very close already!", Honoka stated, seeming as they were chatting like childhood friends who met for the first time in forever.

"Ahaha, yeah...", Kotori said as she chuckled weakly at Nozomi and Umi's banter, but quickly reacted to a rustling behind her.

Umi seemed to have also turned around, at a much faster pace than Kotori, and her head moved sideways like it was following the sounds.

"I hear something...," she whispered, body tense and head peering over from side to side.

Hanayo nodded, "I also smell something... blood," she weakly muttered, her shoulders shaking wildly but her her hands were being clasped together as to prevent the shaking from overreacting.

Nozomi nodded, "I feel a strange presence..."

At the nick of time, Kotori managed to go into a stealth phase, facing a shadow at her right, arm stretched out protecting the others.

The shadow emerged from the bushes, appearing to be what looked like a wolf, with blood-crazed eyes that were glowering in the dark like red bloodthirsty gems, fur as black as the night sky with red streaks at the ends, mouth snarling at the five in front of it.

"Is that a wolf? What's it doing here?", Honoka asked, oblivious to the happenings around her.

"Is it hungry? Hunting for prey? It looks like it's going to eat us at any moment now...," Umi followed the orange head's statement.

A frown formed on the purple-hared girl's face, "From your words, I guess the two of you are indoor people, right?"

Umi blinked rappidly, "How do you say that?"

"Well, commonly people wouldn't ask why a wolf is staring at you—," Nozomi pulled out two guns, one purple and the other white, from her back pockets, "—because everyone knows that..."

She shot the white gun at the wolf, making it growl in pain at the bullet pushed right into its left leg.

"...wolves, or any other animals at that..."

She then shot the purple gun at it, aiming for its right foot, but it was actually smart enough to dodge the incoming bullet, rolling over to one side, a low whine escaping its mouth.

"...don't exist anymore."

Umi's eyes widened, "W...What?!"

Tho wolf lunged itself at them, one paw tucked in as it pounced, strength as much as any other with how it could move even with one foot.

Kotori, reacting as fast as it moved, blocked it with her arm, resulting with it sinking its fangs into her, flesh dug and blood flowing out.

The ashen-haired girl yelped at the sudden pain, withstanding its force with her own unwavering, but weakening, power. Nozomi clicked her tongue, "I'll explain more later, right now we need to stop it."

She readied her armaments and aimed both at the beast, with Hanayo following suit as she steadily pointed a rod at the black wolf.

Umi had an arm in front of Honoka, the orange head looking straight at the wolf's eyes. She noticed.

How it turned from uncontrollable, to cautious, to frightened, and to guilt.

It pulled out its fangs from Kotori, the girl pulled down by gravity as she clutched onto her arm for dear life, while the wolf, backing down one foot to the other, eyes lit up like blazing sunlight.

Honoka moved, with Umi reacting too late as she had already been in front of the wolf. "Honoka—!"

"Hey, are you scared? It's okay! We won't hurt you!", the orange-haired teen smiled at the beast, hand outstretched for it to hold.

The wolf grew cautious, eyes still full of guilt, as it let out a low whine.

Nozomi, seeing as this was a new, and unexpected, development of the situation, withdrew her weapons into their holsters and moved forward to the human and the animal.

Sensing the armed human which gave it an injury, it snarled at the woman, but eventually yelped as it accidentally moved the shot paw.

Nozomi notioned for Hanayo to come closer, and when she did, she pointed at the wolf's leg.

The brown-haired girl understood the setting and redirected her hands onto the wolf, a soft green glow projected by it.

At first, the wolf made loud noises and seemed to be crawling away, but it calmed down a few minutes after sensing no harm from the light.

It healed, the bullet was gone and the hole was buried, but the pain was there. It wasn't felt but it was there.

And the wolf was thankful.

It started to glow in a red light.

Of course, this development was surprising for the others, but Nozomi seems to be quite fine with the scene.

She looked like she was expecting it, per se.

In a few moments, the light grew dimmer by the second, and when it was put out, a human was there.

Black midnight hair rustling with the wind, face and body full of scratches and blood, clothes tattered and ripped. It was a wonder how she survived in that kind of state.

And for how long she was living.

She dropped down to the ground, with the five surrounding her limp body.

"Is she gonna be okay?", was Honoka's question.

"She will be... Let's get her to the house first."


	2. Episode 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nozomi explains the reason behind the loss of animals while Hanayo heals the wolf who turned into a girl. Honoka and Umi listen, taking in all of the knowledge to avoid their ignorance to the world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve got nothing on my mind. But I will make another chapter. Maybe publish it later or tomorrow... depends. I’ve got an opening speech later so it will technically be hard but I will try to make one this afternoon.

* * *

Shifting on the bed was evident with how the covers moved around and almost falling on the ground.

 

Umi, having been an early bird since her early age, woke up to observe the cause.

 

Kotori was having another nightmare.

 

This she could guess easily, as it occured to her on a few occasions, but not as bad as this.

 

The poor girl had been covered in sweat for goodness how long, mouth quivering and eyes scrunching up, wrinkles forming on her forehead as heavy puffs of breath came out from her cavity.

 

It seems like Umi caught up with the situation and was tempted to awaken the sleeping girl, but a sudden growl stopped her.

 

A growl that came from Kotori herself.

 

Well, if she didn't remember last night, she would've been scared to death as of the moment.

 

But it occured to her about Nozomi's lesson

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

Last Night PoV

 

"Just put her on the couch for now," Nozomi commanded on Honoka and Umi as they placed the limp black-haired girl onto the sofa.

 

Once down, Umi then turned to look at the byzantium-haired girl, "Okay, care to explain what you were about to say earlier?"

 

If looks could deceive, perhaps Nozomi would've won, but bested by the situation, the purple head can only nod for further reference.

 

"Well, as I had told you earlier, I guessed that the both of you are indoor people. Since both surprised and positive reactions came out from the two of you, I can say that my guess was spot on," she said, motioning Hanayo for something as she pointed to the unconscious woman.

 

Hanayo immediately understood, she crouched down to the height level of the resting girl, opened up her palms in front of her and then a soft glowing light came down pouring from her hand.

 

The two newcomers were taken aback, "Whoa! You guys can use magic?!", was Honoka's statement. Of course Umi was just as curious, after all, they didn't know anything until now.

 

But they were both disappointed when Kotori shook her head, claiming their thoughts as false, "Actually, the one who uses magic are only those who are representing the Government."

 

"Government? Like the President and the Board?", Umi asked, having no knowledge about their current leadership positions or who were the leaders of their nation.

 

Again, Kotori shook her head, "Not like that kind of government, the Government I am talking about is this," she held out a small devide that looked like a flat glass with pictures in it.

 

It had an image of people lined up in a vertical position, almost all of them wearing matching suits: black and white, the typical tux, and their over-the-top hat and cane.

 

"So they're like gentlemen then???", Honoka was the one who broke the silent streak, though she hadn't been paying attention on that.

 

"Nah, more like they were wearing that just to deceive people," Nozmomi spoke up, then smiled knowingly and pointed out to the canes of the people in the picture, "Not everything here is ordinary. See these canes?"—the two nodded—"They're actually staffs," the purple head explained.

 

"Staffs? Like, those things that Bishops use?", something clicked in Umi's brain.

 

She knew.

 

"Bingo!", Nozomi clapped her hands, "Looks like we have another smart one on our team! Hehehe~", she chuckled. She then picked up another device, something that looks similar to a disc, but is transparent and green in color, "This is actually a prototype of a satellite. Not similar in appearance, but actually has the same features," she showed it to the two, with them being oblivious to new technology, "This can monitor the world, going around space and the like. But unlike satellites, it actually sends signals only when magic is used. And such, this is how we keep track of the arsons."

 

A few more clicks and they get the point.

 

"Wait, how is this connected to the arsons?", the orange head tilted her head sideways, thinking.

 

But Umi already knew the answer. Of course she would know.

 

Nozomi knows just how much she has in store for them, even if she only met her and Honoka once.

 

But not earlier.

 

"I'm guessing Umi already figured it out, no?", Nozomi had a smirk playing on her face as Umi had a dark expression, eyes furrowed.

 

The bluenette's mouth formed a thin line, broken when she spoke, "I'm guessing that... it's either the arsonist has a companion that is one of the people from the Government... or he either has one of these staffs he could use... or..."

 

Honoka looked at her, "Or???"

 

"Or... the arsonist is a magic user himself... and is in collusion with the Government...,"Umi glanced at the gray-haired girl who was just quietly listening to their chatter, but had this unreadable expression on her face.

 

Kotori spoke this time, "We've been keeping track of the earth pulses, which only react to the use of unnatural powers, from a distance using the Mark 1", she pointed at the disc-like device that the purple-haired girl held, "and all of the earth pulse reactions were on point with the occurence of an arson."

 

"Which is why we had deducted that somehow the arsonist has connections with the Government, but we can't be so sure about it. After all," Nozomi took out her guns from their holsters, "I, for one, can use this. What I have here is a Magic Item. This gun holds up magical entities like Spheres and Orbs, which builds up magic as it is being exposed in earth pulses," she pointed at the purple gun on her right, "Then this gun right here is a Blind Item. Not like Magic Items that are built for the use of the earth pulses, but is actually channeling powers from your Spirit Animal. The more powerful your Spirit Animal is, the greater the power it ejects," she explained at the white gun on her left.

 

"Spirit Animal???", Honoka placed her index finger on her chin, a frown forming on her face.

 

Nozomi would've chuckled at how many questions the orange head already asked, but a question is a question. And must be answered.

 

"Actually, a Spirit Animal is like your soul," she placed her guns back on her pockets and held out a stone, "The two of you combined is just one persona. So if one of you dies," she smashed half of the rock, as symbol of one of the two personas, "the other will, too," she then showed the remains of the rock to them, and how it fell apart when half of it was destroyed.

 

Honoka was awestruck by the description, even though it only said of its death, "So a Spirit Animal is like a friend then??", she asked.

 

Nozomi giggled, "More or less, but only if the two of you are close enough to be called friends and have bonded for a long time."

 

"Bonded???"

 

"Yes, bonding is actually a form of getting closer to your Spirit Animal, and is a good way of controlling your powers and making it more powerful," Nozomi explained.

 

"So you're saying that the wolf was a Spirit Animal?", Umi mused.

 

But was confused when the room became silent.

 

Of course, Hanayo was concentrating on what was looking like a healing ritual of sorts, so she was not included.

 

But with Nozomi and Kotori both having solemn faces, it was a different reason.

 

"I-Is there something I said?", Umi was frantically thinking of what she said wrong, but was cut off when Kotori shook her head.

 

"No, it's just that...," she looked away from them, choosing to look at a distance from an open window.

 

Nozomi took this as her cue to initiate her response, "That was, indeed, the work of a Spirit Animal," she then looked at the black-haired stranger's face, "But never once had a Spirit Animal took over a human's body, or even a human shape-shifting into an animal was proclaimed," she then propped up her hands on the table and leaned her chin onto her open palms, thinking, "I'm guessing it's either she has some sort of out-of-control Spirit Animal up her sleeve, or she had already bonded with it throughout the years and experienced a different kind of power, a power to actually transform into the form of the Spirit Animal itself."

 

"How rare of an occurence is actually transforming into a Spirit Animal?", Umi got a crooked smile as her response.

 

"I don't even know if it can still be called rare. More like in the lines of impossible."

 

The bluenette's eyes widened, "Eh?! Impossible?! Then... how did—?!"

 

She was cut off when Kotori abruptly stood up from her seating, face expressionless but a frown was there, "I'm going to sleep. Feel free to join me when you're all done, Umi," were her only words before she left the room and went inside her own.

 

A few seconds passed before they all went back to their discussion, but not without wondering about Kotori's sudden change of mood.

 

"Is she upset?", Honoka asked in worry. As gullible as she is, all three of them were feeling the same thing.

 

Nozomi just smiled at them, a somber smile, "It actually happened to her, too. Just... not in the same way, a bit different, but the same nonetheless."

 

"Eh?! Really?!", the orange-haired girl was so surprised that when she stood up, the center of gravity took her down with it, landing her the spot on the floor where a mat was placed limply.

 

Umi sighed as she picked Honoka up and made her stay still on her seat, "If you said that it was an impossible occurence, how come Kotori did it as well? I mean, even if it is not the same, the power should be about an equal length right?", she looked at Nozomi for an explanation.

 

But the byzantium-haired girl frowned, "Well, to put it simply, it's not physically the same, but the intention of the directed power can be equally judged. Because none of us can explain how it all happened, we just kind of assumed it all. Besides," she crossed her arms, "Kotori was too small to understand that, she was just above 3 years of age when it happened to her..."

 

"3?!", both Umi and Honoka exclaimed, surprised at how young the girl had transformed, meaning she had already bonded with her Spirit Animal in less than three years?!

 

"The both of you are wrong," Nozomi corrected their thoughts, "She had not bonded with it. It was an impulse."

 

"Impulse?"

 

"At such a young age, we ourselves can't really think of what was happening around us. Of course, the existence of a spirit inside us seems more like a fairytale than a mere dream," Nozomi looked at where Kotori's room was located, "To which the same goes for Kotori. And the only thing that I can think of as to how she had manipulated her Spirit Animal into having it appear was her.."

 

"Her... what?", Honoka moved her upper body closer to Nozomi, curious.

 

"Her anger."

 

The two became silent, which was a sign for Nozomi to just continue.

 

"Emotion is another thing that most of us cannot control all the time. It is a feature of ours that is natural. But because this is our feelings that we are talking about, the stronger they are, the great the reaction. Anger is just one of those emotions that are almost too escalating to avoid. Not all of us can control our anger like others," she looked once more at the knocked out raven head, "And I can only guess that she is also one of them that has anger management issues."

 

"So... Kotori-chan also has a Spirit Animal... what animal does Kotori-chan have???", another question by Honoka.

 

A grim expression came into place on Nozomi's face, contorted with a frown and wrinkles forming on her forehead, "Well, her Spirit Animal is a bird... but..."

 

"But???"

 

"... When she grew mad... her Spirit Animal turned into a... Dragon..."

 

Honoka blinked.

 

Umi blinked.

 

They both did so, again.

 

And again.

 

Apparently not hearing it right, Honoka leaned in more, "Uhm... what?"

 

"I said, she turned her Spirit Animal into a dragon when she was three years old...," Nozomi let out a sigh. Guess it just won't go through to them.

 

"... WHAT?!"

 

"A... A dragon?!"

 

"I though it was a bird!!"

 

"How is that even possible?!"

 

"How can a bird turn into a dragon?!"

 

"Is it possible to have two Spirit Animals though?!"

 

"A bird! Turned into a dragon! Like, what?!"

 

Well, it was easy for Nozomi to know which ones yelled which. But it was harder to explain.

 

"Yes I know it is very confusing. But the truth is," she stood up from her seat, "if you have the same ability like Kotori, normally you'd be surprised. So I'll show you what I mean."

 

"What... do you mean show us?", Umi became curious, having stopped panicking with questions a few moments ago.

 

"Well, Kotori's not the only one with said "Two" Spirit Animals," Nozomi then smirked, "Because me and Hanayo are the same, too."

 

"... EH?!!", the two new guests yelled in unison.

 

"Better that I show you then," Nozomi shrugged her shoulders, opting to ignore the two's reaction and instead smirked with what she was about to do.

 

She stood up on the table, hand in between her breast, resting where her heart was, "This is my Spirit Animal!", she exclaimed, the spot where she placed her hand forming a small circle with very vague description written in it, glowing an ominous dark purple, growing in size as time passed.

 

Soon, the light engulfed Nozomi, her body and clothes the same, hair slightly pointed upward on the top, eyes sharpened, and besides that, nothing has changed.

 

Except for an animal on her back.

 

It was small, about a third the size of Nozomi, brownish orange with black stripes on its body and a soft round-ended tail with black circles on its eyes, pointed nose and ears.

 

It was a raccoon dog.

 

"Huh? Is that... your Spirit Animal?!", Honoka asked out loud.

 

Nozomi, in her current form, smiled, "Yes, my Spirit Animal is, indeed, a raccoon dog. But..."

 

She stepped down from the table, she held out her palm in front of her, eyes narrowing, "When my feelings are clear and intense, my other sleeping Spirit Animal..."

 

A black mist engulfed her Spirit Animal, along with a dark purple light.

 

"...Awakens!", as it swirled around the raccoon dog, the wind became stronger, basically about to blow off everyone in the room.

 

Honoka was holding the arm of the chair like it was her lifeline, with Umi just bracing herself with her arms, but Hanayo didn't seemed to be bothered, rather she was too focused with her work on healing the black-haired girl, who was laying there like a heavy sack of potatoes.

 

Soon enough, the light and mist went away in a flash, but the wind hadn't slowed, rather it kept blowing faster.

 

And what appeared to be Nozomi's second Spirit Animal was not any mere animal.

 

Rather, it was a dark purple Dragon, with black wings and notorious green eyes, teeth that could easily tear, and claws that could wound even the hardest of metals.

 

Its scales were glistening, shining a bright purple, as it adorned its body like natural flesh-like armor.

 

"So you understand now?", probably in the most fastest way, Nozomi had somehow turned back to normal, even the dragon vanished into thin air, like all of that was nothing.

 

But for the other two, on the other hand...

 

Let's say one was amazed with too many questions in line to catch up.

 

And the other one was too surprised that it wasn't surprising how she fainted in the most uncomfortable of positions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What a trip... At least I got to finish... maybe... it’s short on action... and maybe more on just my imagination. Hahaha!
> 
> English is not my mother tongue. But I try. At least, to enrich my vocabulary.


	3. Episode 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Umi helped Kotori calm down from a terrible nightmare.
> 
> Sort of...
> 
> And the wolf girl shows up conscious. How will they react to this?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the end, I never managed to make this yesterday. Kind of took me all day not to get stressed with Student Council work...
> 
> But the good thing is, I made a new chapter. And the bad news is, I’ll probably publish one during the long run, possibly about a week before I can finish up.

Umi sighed.

 

Last night was much more than some weird nightmares, that's for sure.

 

After all, how can you just compare a fictional image of your brain to a supernatural event in front of your eyes?

 

Such a devastating gap.

 

Well, when you think about it, hearing Kotori growl in the morning was not as surprising as Nozomi actually transforming her Spirit Animal into a dragon that could possibly outgrow its growl.

 

Not like she was any different from Kotori.

 

The two have the same second Spirit Animal, no wonder they sound too similar than naught.

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

"So Kotori can transform her Spirit Animal into a dragon as well?", a curious Umi, who just recovered from a fainting spell, asked the now mysteriously smiling Nozomi.

 

The purple head nodded cheerily, "Yep! And Hanayo here"—she pointed at the undisturbed girl in front of the couch—"has a Spirit Animal of a deer, but her second Spirit Animal is a white lion! Pretty cool neh~?", she cooed, with Honoka in tow of her mood, and Umi not having any of it.

 

"Whatever the case is, you're saying that if any of you got mad, it's the end of the world?", she continued her voyage of inquiries, eyes scrutinized to the byzantium-haired girl.

 

To which it was met with closed eyes in happiness.

 

Or just to tick Umi off.

 

"It would, to put it simply. But we all have our limits," Nozomi giggled, eyes glancing at Umi and Honoka, "And not all the time are we mad and go all out just because we were all ticked off, ya know! We have our reasons~"

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

How Umi can describe her feelings at the moment she remembered all that, she cannot.

 

Not until the truth was revealed.

 

Curiosity killed the cat, after all. And just how lucky she had been to be the one being targeted this time.

 

Indoor people...

 

Nozomi mentioned them that once.

 

And the reason why was beyond her belief, but not as strong of an impact as the Spirit Animal theory.

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

"So about us being indoor people..."

 

"Ah yes! I almost forgot about that with the whole Government issue," Nozomi clasped her hands together and sat down, crosing both of her arms and legs, "Actually, like I said earlier, animals no longer exist in this world—"

 

"Why?!", Umi slammed both of her hands on the table, startling Honoka, but not Nozomi, and certainly not Hanayo, who was too much into her work to listen to them.

 

"Why, huh... it's kind of a long story, to be precise, but to make the long story short..."

 

The purple-haired woman tilted her head to the side, looking at the corner of the ceiling, "There was once a famed Magician roaming around the world to pleasure people with his magnificent and out-of-this-world magic tricks. Not the cheap kind of tricks, but actual magic..."

 

"People gradually raised in amount, with more and more coming to every one of his events. Magic was, after all, entertaining as it was unnatural and powerful..."

 

"Focusing on his audience and on his audience only, the Magician grew greedy. He wanted to learn more tricks, more magic. And more of those means he needed more power..."

 

"The grand finale, held here in Otonokizaka, was where he met the Government, those who solely rely on magic to gain profit and leadership of the nation. To think he thought of himself as lucky..."

 

"How he was wrong in the end, when the Government heard of his arrival in the City. They captured him, sucked his lifeline and tortured him. They only gave him pain, and freedom for the price of his knowledge when it came to magic..."

 

"At first, he was desperate for the outside world, to see his grand audience cheer and clap for his magnificent show, but when the time came that he was set free, his desperation grew even more... more magic... more power... more attention..."

 

"He betrayed the Government, not like he was a part of them, but he did not once wanted to seek allegiance with them..."

 

"However, with him being outnumbered, he ran into the forest, hid himself for who knows how long, with the Government still on his step, convinced of him having more ways of using magic..."

 

"He fell into despair, try as he might climb, he never left the pitch black hole he dug himself into. He reformed himself, sustaining more lifeline, in the use of dark artes..."

 

"Dark artes were born, born from the magic imbued with the user's despair. His malevolence was so great, not even the anger of a hundred men could outstand his madness..."

 

"More, he needed. Needed more power. Not even with the new power can he gain the upper hand against the cunning group of the Government, and an allegiance with petty humans were too little for him to acknowledge. So he came up with another solution..."

 

"Draining the lifeline of animals..."

 

At this point, Umi and Honoka, almost, knew about the truth. To why the animals no longer exist... To why they were even called indoor people in the first place...

 

"Of course, the absurdity of it. Humans were of a higher state than animals. How can they have more power accumulated from them?"

 

"Not for him. His despair blinded him of the possibility. And with his great power, he formulated a big earth pulse, one planted in the center of Otonokizaka, to which its sole purpose was to suck the lifeline of all animals..."

 

"All at once..."

 

Dark amber and baby blue eyes widened at Nozomi's words, neither had any idea of what was going to happen.

 

"How foolish, that when the day came into place, the animals died pitifully. Sprawled onto the ground like dried leaves..."

 

"But their lifeline never went inside the earth pulse..."

 

"The man was outraged, his plan had backfired. His perfectly-conjured setup had not worked. It was not taking place. It was unstable, broken, full of despair..."

 

"Instead, the lifeline of the animals went separately, roaming the world, and inhabited the humans, who were the only living beings to which they could take as their vessel. Their body. Their wholeness..."

 

"To which it came to now, with the man still pursuing his dream of uniting all of man's prowess, in suit of the power of the spirit of the animals, Spirit Animals, as called now..."

 

"And this event happened on the day of the 7th of July, thirteen years from now," Nozomi ended her story with a huff of breath, "That was awfully long, but oddly satisfying."

 

"Animals... don't exist anymore...?", Honoka looked down on the ground, hands clenched, so were her teeth. But frustration can only take you nowhere.

 

Umi learned this the hard way. But opted not to ask any more.

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

Another sigh came out of the blue-haired girl.

 

Another question out of her mind, that's for sure.

 

And another problem at hand.

 

She glanced at Kotori's current position.

 

Eyes shut with dark circles under them, hands sweaty and clenching every now and then, body shivering.

 

"Kotori?", Umi tried shaking the girl, but it was to no vail, however, with how the girl shrugged her hands off and fell deeper into her nightmare.

 

Frustrated, Umi gripped both of the ashen-haired girl's shoulders, giving them a squeeze and a light shake, "Kotori, wake up."

 

Her response was a groan, and brows furrowing.

 

Umi bit her bottom lip.

 

This was getting her nowhere.

 

So she took the girl, held her head, and lowered her own so it was only a few inches away from her ear.

 

She breathed lightly, softly, airily, "Wake up, Kotori—"

 

"Haa—!", Kotori, shocked with the outcome of her nightmare, abruptly stood up, eyes as wide as dinner plates, looking around.

 

And when her golden brown orbs were in an eye-to-eye contact with dark amber, her body moved in reflex.

 

Kotori hugged Umi.

 

Doing such an intimate action almost suddenly without any say to it, Umi became flustered, not used to physical contact with other people, much less bodily contacts.

 

But with how Kotori was shivering and sniffing and whimpering, her fear died down, to the level of a caring and loving mother making her daughter relax.

 

"Shh, it's okay Kotori. There's nothing to worry about," she cooed smoothly, slowly running her fingers through the gray-haired girl's hair, weaving through it like silk.

 

The whimpering girl, held in the arms of Umi, slightly calmed down, gripping her arms around the blue-haired girl tighter.

 

"Umi-chan...," she whispered.

 

"Eh?", '—chan?!', she exclaimed in her head. How or when, she did not know.

 

It was all too sudden, after all.

 

Reacting in realization, Kotori let go of her grip on Umi and stood up, falling down on the floor in the process. "Uh—S-Sorry, Umi-ch—I mean... Sorry... Umi..."

 

The bluenette immediately regretted her choice of words and stretched out a hand to pull up Kotori from the floor, to which she obliged whilst looking at her feet.

 

"I suppose... you're feeling better now?", not wanting to impose with asking about the nightmare, Umi asked about her condition instead. As to not have her remember her frustrations.

 

The ash-haired girl nodded, biting her lower lip. She gripped her hand tighter around Umi's, "Can I... hold your hand a little longer?", she asked softly.

 

Not knowing of Umi's surprised look.

 

How her eyes widened and her cheeks flushed red.

 

But she nodded nonetheless.

 

And the tension in the room growed.

 

It was silent, with only Kotori's uneven breath and Umi's quick but steady one being heard.

 

But the thumping of their hearts were muted inside their body.

 

Until a knock was heard from outside.

 

"U-Umi-chan! Kotori-chan! Uhm... breakfast is re-ready!", a squeaky voice said, presumably Hanayo based on the pitch of the tone.

 

The two were shocked and petrified. They were too surprised to even move. But Kotori eventually slipped her hand out of Umi's grip.

 

Which caused an unexplainable knot forming in Umi's stomach.

 

"We'll be there!", Kotori called out before the footsteps scrambled and went away from their room.

 

Heaving out a sigh of relief, Kotori stood up, motioning Umi to do the same with a smile on her face.

 

A forced one.

 

"Let's go, U... Umi," she said before heading towards the door, going outside ahead of the bluenette, who was staring at her back like a deer caught in headlights.

 

"Uh... right!", finally catching up, Umi raced towards the door and closed it when she was out.

 

Kotori went down the narrow hallway, Umi in her wake, heading towards the kitchen.

 

It smelled like scrambled eggs and bacon.

 

Umi had deducted in her mind. The faint odor of the cooked meal was very mild, but the bluenette successfully caught the aroma.

 

And she couldn't help but crave for breakfast even more.

 

Kotori's probably the same, but her eyes were very keen at the moment.

 

And Umi didn't waste the chance to ask, "Is there something wrong?"

 

Kotori faced her, a serious expression on her face, "Someone else is cooking," was what she said.

 

Umi tilted her head in confusion, "Why? Is there someone who is solely in chanrge of cooking here?"

 

"No, we all cook, we take turns everyday. But today...," she narrowed her eyes towards the kitchen, "... a suspicious person is cooking. A stranger."

 

"Why would a stranger cook here?", the bluenette walked faster until she reached the kitchen area, where a very hungry Honoka was sitting by the table, mouth drooling and eyes glowing.

 

Nozomi was there, a smile intact on her face, with Hanayo beside her, and a wary expression was worn.

 

Kotori looked shocked, "Who's cooking?!", she panicked, about to run towards the stove, but Nozomi stopped her with her arm outstretched.

 

"Well, you'll have to figure it out~", she teased, one eye winking with her mouth forming a lopsided grin.

 

Umi frowned.

 

"Honoka can't possibly cook. Kotori was with me. Hanayo and Nozomi are both here. And the other one..."

 

Realization dawned on her, eyes widening in acknowledgment of the answer.

 

"So she's... conscious?!", Umi practically yelped, but she kept her mouth shut when the aroma of the food went closer to their location.

 

"I can hear all of you, you know. I'm not a wolf if I can't, after all," a faintly annoyed new voice came out from the kitchen area towards the dining table.

 

All heads immediately turned to look at the black-haired girl, clad in a black shirt and orange shorts with suspenders of the same color, tucked inside a white apron and boots rich in ebony that reached just below her knee.

 

Kotori, surprised, was about to go into a fighting stance, but stopped abruptly when she saw the new face carrying a tray of food.

 

Their food, to be exact.

 

"Look, I'm not gonna fight you. Or bite you. Or scratch you. Whatever you call it, I don't care. I'm not that type of person. Believe me," the ebony-haired girl said in a matter-of-factly manner as she set up the plates on the table and settled their meal in the middle of it.

 

Honoka, craving for food for more than an hour, was about to pounce on the food. If not for the black-haired girl stopping her with a ladle.

 

"Hold on to your chair, idiot. We're not going to disrespect our food on the table, you hear me?", she scolded.

 

And Honoka seemed to be buying it, as her head had sunken low in defeat, "Okay~," she whined, cheeks puffing and arms crossing.

 

The black-haired girl smiled in victory, "Of course, Nico-Nii's not gonna take long with this! We'll be eating once thiiiiiis—", she placed the utensils on the side of each plate, "—is placed! Yoshi! Nico's Special Breakfast Menu, Bacon and Eggs! Enjoy, Nico-Nico~!", she formed a sign with her hands that looked like rock-and-roll hand signals that you see on punk groups.

 

Honoka, immediately relieving from her stupor, took hold of her chopsticks and began to dig in after saying a quick "Itadakimasu!"

 

The stranger frowned, put down the ladle, and chopped the head of the stuffing girl, earning a loud moan of discomfort from her, "Manners, please. And no stuffing. Eat more slower," she commanded with authority, making Honoka nod in displeasure and chow down, albeit much more slower and more restrained, biting lesser than the normal mouthful she has everyday.

 

The other three, with the exceptions of Nozomi, sweat dropped at the scene, like the two were already close enough to be interacting as much.

 

"So what's your name?", not wanting to beat around the bush, Umi asked straight to the point.

 

The jet black-haired girl narrowed her eyes at her, then looked at Nozomi's snickering face, and sighed while placing her hands on her hips.

 

"Fine, fine. Not like none of you will eventually ask me that. Of course I know," she spoke in a monotonous way that her deadpan expression was shown. "The name's Yazawa Nico-Nii. You can just call me Nico, Nico-chan, whatever. Not like I care enough about stuffy old nicknames either way," she shrugged her shoulders.

 

Umi frowned, "How is it that you can transform into a wolf anyway?", was her straight question, earning a narrow-eyed stare from the girl, Nico.

 

"How straightforward. People like you are a bother," she answered in the same manner as the bluenette, catching her off guard, but the black-haired girl paid no heed to it, "But I can answer that. So anyway," she picked up the ladle next to the orange-haired girl who was eating like it was her only focus at the moment, "Have any of you heard about the Lone Savage?"

 

They nodded, but only Hanayo recoiled with a verbal answer, "Of course, anyone would know about it! They say that it's a mythological Spirit Animal no one has ever seen anywhere except here! And the only animal to ever be outside of a vessel, not once had researchers discovered another animal roaming in the wild just like it. It's actually one of a kind! Not only that, I heard that it killed thousands of lives—"

 

They listened to her words, but were too intent on paying attention to Hanayo to even notice Nico's sudden tensing and discomfort.

 

"—and that it singlehandedly outmatched the Government one time that they had no choice but to retreat! It's so fascinating that I can't describe it in words!", Hanayo was huffing out puffs of breath with too much talking that Kotori was forced to shush her with her finger.

 

Umi was, yet again, surprised by the sudden change of personality by the brown-haired girl, but chose not to pry any further, instead looked at Nico, "So what's your point in this?"

 

The ebony-haired girl gritted her teeth and tightened her fists, brows furrowing in what seems to be anger.

 

"Heh, my point... huh...," she raised her right hand and showed them the back of her palm, which suddenly formed a red sign on it, to what looked like a two-sided sword tip with a round epicenter centering it, lines filling in on the other gaps. She gripped her hand with the other, eyes overshadowed by her bangs. "To think I need a point. It doesn't matter anyway..."

 

She then looked at them with intensity and determination, "What you see here right now is the Curse of the Crimson Trace," she exclaimed, then held her right hand to her chest, forming a fist, "and this curse is what made me the said Lone Savage."

 

Silence.

 

They were all staring normally at Nico.

 

Until Honoka stopped eating and turned to look at them, "What's wrong?", was her innocent question.

 

A good question indeed.

 

"...EH???!!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sadly, this story kind of filled up my head with nothing but unnecessary plots. And I’m sick of it.
> 
> But I do try to finish. At least just this one.


	4. Episode 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico explained her part of the story, very very shortly, since they had to go out for food. But an encounter with the enemy outside had their appetites on standby.
> 
> And with the appearance of a childhood friend in the worse case scenario, one of them had to go all out for the sake of a familiar person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Too tired to even write...
> 
> Thanks for reading this.
> 
> On to the chapter...

"... EH??!!"

"Look, you can't just shout at my ear. I'm a wolf, remember? Sensitive ears, sensitive nose, get it?!", Nico hushed them with her hand squishing her ear because of the sudden yell.

Honoka, barely grasping the situation, tilted her head to the side, "Whoa, so even when you're a human, you still have the same attributes as a wolf...," she was about to continue eating when the information suddenly built up on her head, "... EH??!!"

"Not you too!", the ebony-haired girl growled, the same noise as one that wolves make. And it practically scared the heck out of everyone.

Except Nozomi, of course. Notably, until now, nothing scares her.

At least, nothing to what Kotori and Hanayo knows.

"So... uh, this curse is actually what makes you transform?", Hanayo timidly pointed at the insignia scorched on Nico's hand like burnt tattoos.

It glowed of fiery red, after all.

And Nico didn't seem to mind the question, "I think I actually made that point across already. And to put it simply, this—", she pressed her left hand over the back of her right, overshadowing the sign, "—does not make me transform. It just enhances my power to make me transform."

"Besides, believe me or not, my transformation spells are unusually sporadic during the past five years of my life. It's... kinda what makes me called a savage in a way...," she ended with a narrow gaze and an expression, a sorrowful but accepting kind of face.

Kotori looked at her in pity, "Was your life hard? What about your family? Are they not with you?"

Her question was immediately answered by a clenching of fists and gritting of canines. A historical phenomena where a simple grit of teeth made a red spark that pursued the entire cables of electrical wires hanging along the ceiling.

The black-haired girl looked at them straight in the eyes, face distorted and maniacal, "Hah! To think you'd ask if my life is great... great, huh...," she had her bangs hanging down on her eyes, dangling dangerously on her forehead, "Fuck, my life has never been better! What do you think? Leaving home at the age of five and roaming around like a homeless hag for four straining year, chased down by the Government for experimental reasons and caught for a mere three years, then being set free by a vigilante, to which you all know as the Magician, and then all I know was that this thing here was imprinted on the small of my hand, and the next thing I knew, the arsonist held my family victim of his psychotic events. What’s worse? I’ve killed innocents for five fucking years! Sweet, huh? My life is really fucking nice!!!", she smashed the table with a fist, the floor coming off along with it, causing a crate to crack open on the floor. 

Even their food went to waste.

Except Honoka's, which she held up as she chowed down.

Nico sighed, brushed her hair with her hand, slicking it back in frustration, "Don't worry, I'll fix it up in a jiffy later."

Too surprised to reply, the others stayed quiet for more than half a minute, until Nozomi cracked open her mouth with a slight disoriented grin.

"So I take it you can repair things?", she asked with her index finger raising up her chin, albeit a bit of a futile attempt at staying on the unaffected side, since her hands are a bit shaky.

The ebony-haired girl gave the fortune teller a narrowed gaze, "I've been alone for more than a third of my whole life, managing to even suck up to this sick world. How could I survive? I'd at least pick up a thing or two to do when I live my life. Besides smashing and killing and wiping out villages and stuff. Domestic skills are more than enough for the ensurance of my life. And I'm quite adept at maintenance and forging. Fixing things is the only thing I can help to make amends for my... wrong doings...," she looked gloomy and stared at the floor, refusing eye contact with the others.

"Hehh~... Hey Hey!", Honoka jumped up from her seat and shook Nico like a bag, "Can you teach me how? I've always wanted to help Tsubasa-chan clean whenever her office gets a little messy. I don't want to be a burden, and I haven't repaid my dept to her yet! Please??!!", she gave her best puppy dog eyes at the slighly older but shorter girl, mouth forming a pout and making whining noises.

Of course, charms like that won't work.

"No," Nico flat out refused and chopped the orange-haired girl's head, making her groan in pain, "This kind of thing takes time. Not like you can learn it in just one day. And I've seen you enough to know that you can't handle jobs like these. Better to leave it to the professionals."

"Mou~ You're not even a professional yourself...," Honoka muttered in her stupor, to which Nico reacted with a tick mark on her forehead.

"What did you say?!"

"Mah~ Mah~ That's enough, you two. We don't want the whole house exploding now, do we? Breaking the table in half and smashing the floor is enough for one day," Nozomi got in between them, with a creepy grin on her face.

Honoka and Nico, both frightened, gulped and slowly submitted in defeat, slumped down on their chairs quietly, Nico shaking a bit with Honoka picking up her bowl and ate slowly.

Umi, Kotori, and Hanayo breathed out a sigh of relief. 

Problem is, there's no more food left.

Hanayo was in tears, "The rice...," she whimpered, hands on her face as she shook her head in disbelief.

Umi, worried about Hanayo's mental health, softly patted the younger girl on the back, looking for Kotori in reassurance.

To which the ashen haired girl replied with a twitchy grin, "Hanayo loves rice, a lot. It's no surprise that she reacted this way," she chuckled nervously at her gloomy childhood friend.

Nozomi clapped her hands, "Ja~ Since we can't eat our food, let's just get take out from the local store. Though it's not healthy, food or no food, I'm not picky," she shrugged her shoulders as she told them that.

"Fine by me. Not like I haven't eaten instant food. At least, not in a while now," Nico said as she slowly stood up from her seat and stretched. 

Umi nodded in agreement, "The same goes for me and Honoka as well. I mean, we've been alone for a week, and none of us can cook well enough for it to be edible. So most likely we relied on instant food often," she explained their situation during the prior week of their isolation.

"Us too. We're kind of used to it by now so we're okay with it," Kotori replied for Hanayo, since she was still sulking about the rice on the floor, mushed and grimy.

Honoka, famished with her plate, heaved out a contented sight and stood up as well, "I'm up for a round two!"

"Pshu~ Like you can be contented with your food. Can't you be more careful with your diet?", scrutinized Nico, hands on her hips.

To which Honoka just chuckled and scrathed the back of her neck, "Hehe~ I keep forgetting about those things," she said and stuck out her tongue playfully.

"You're probably the type to forget important things," Nico said without much restraint, most likely to point out her opinion on Honoka's personality.

And it hit the target mark right off the bat.

"Ugh...," Honoka's brows quirked, body tensing up by the salient impression of her, which was quite true, but hurtful in a way.

"Okay, enough. Let's get a move on before we can settle in for a nice breakfast. May I remind you that it's almost lunch?", Umi barbed at the clock hanging on the wall, which indicated the time of 9:32 in the morning.

Kotori chuckled helplessly, "I suppose this'll just make us eat early lunch. Not like we can have breakfast at the moment. It's kind of a bit late for that," she stated, walking towards the door leading outside with Hanayo in tow, still mulling about the rice on the floor and how famished she was even more just by looking at it.

Nozomi followed in suit, with Nico grumpily stomping behind her. Umi and Honoka were the last ones to leave the house, but Honoka was the one who pounced on the ground as she walked on the muddy terrain.

It rained earlier.

"Huh... strange how we never seemed to have noticed it rain earlier," Nozomi mentioned with her index finger pointed up on her chin.

Umi, being one of the observant personnel, agreed to her sudden statement, "We haven't heard of the sound. I mean, I have sensitive ears myself, but not once have I heard of a drop of rain from the sky."

"Meaning this was premeditated," Nico exclaimed her own point of view on the situation.

Kotori and Hanayo, who were enlightened of the current situation, looked at each other for any ideas of what was happening.

And of course, Honoka was looking at them in curiosity, "What do you guys mean?", she pondered, but kept it as a question for the others to hear.

Umi frowned, "There's someone here," she said, and within the next three seconds, she heard a sudden snap of a twig behind her, just about an angle to her left.

She traced the area of where the movement had been originated, with Nico following her gaze, as she most likely heard of the same thing.

"A stranger... no," the ebony-haired girl glowered, eyes turning sharp and the insignia on her hand lighting up in red, with sparks appearing and spreading, "This one can use magic... He has an artifact...," she growled, hair rising and arms forming red streaks with black highlights, like broken vector lines.

Nozomi, hearing the word 'magic' and 'artifact', involuntarily reached for her holsters, and took shift of her body, once grazing the handle of the guns, her Spirit Animal appeared behind her, seemingly holding a bamboo stick.

"It looks like we have company," she stated knowingly, even though the others seemed to have gotten obvious of the fact, but it didn't hurt to state the obvious, "Stick closely. We don't know what this guy can do."

Kotori nodded, hands raised and reaching for something on her back, which seems to have nothing at the moment. But for some time, a big green magic circle appeared on her back, to which it released some sort of a bird, snow white and feathery, eyes as shiny as gold, with talons that could cut through flesh.

Her hands, however, pulled out two katanas from the magic circle, holding them outwards, pointing them at the trespasser.

Hanayo also did the same, a light green magic circle forming on her back, and it had evaporated within seconds, only to form what looked like a deer, standard brown fur with white dots on the back, but the horns were full grown and with leaves, tail longer than normal, made up of white with green highlights.

Umi and Honoka stared in awe at the three, whom had made their Spirit Animals reappear before them without much effort. It was their first time seeing both Kotori's and Hanayo's Spirit Animals, and even when they had seen Nozomi's, it still left them agape.

Nico, having taken notice of the three's Spirit Animals, smirked. "Ho Ho~ Looks like we got ourselves some big time heroes!", she jeered, hands clapping, but eyes not even blinking nor glancing behind. Bloody crimson orbs still glowered at the sight of an entity with magical prowess, "This guy..."

"Uwaaaa~ look, Umi-chan! They're so cool!", Honoka was practically bouncing up and down, not even caring about their current situation as of the moment.

Umi looked at her seriously, "There's no time for that. We have to be careful," her words shut Honoka off, but the excitement on her face never faded.

The byzantium-haired girl pointed the purple gun at the passerby, "Come out," was her simple statement, but it held authority and sternness, which was quite unusual for the teasing girl.

However, the stranger didn't seem to budge on his place. Rather, he stayed, not even daring to move.

But Nico had discovered him. Just a few moments ago.

"He's not alone," she uttered, gritting her teeth and grazing her thumb on her lower lip, about to bite them with her sharo canine teeth.

Kotori and Hanayo both looked at her in bewilderment, "What?", they both thought, now aware of their current situation. Their gazes bore cautiousness in them.

Nozomi nodded at the new discovery, and she asked, "Accomplice or hostage?"

Nico, apprehensive of Nozomi's clue, sensed the aura of the second person. And her eyes widened.

Nozomi can sense the presence, but not enough to know of its current position.

She gulped, finding it too difficult to proclaim her surveillance, but she remarked it anyway, "... Victim."

At said word, a girl with short orange-hair, tied from head to toe with a thick rope and tape on her mouth, was thrown from the bushes, struggling either for freedom or from suffocation, seeing as there was a red streak on her neck, indicating strangulation.

Hanayo's eyes widened, but not from fear.

The others had the same reaction, but not as intense as hers.

Then a man emerged from the same brushes, cloaked in a modernized tux, complete from top to bottom, colored blue and shoes black. Same with the cane he was carrying, as it looked more aggravating than most of his mysterious clothing.

"It seems we meet again, Project 001," the quirky voice of the estranged luxuriant spouted, a smile placed hollowly on his face, "I think it's about time that you return to the lab—"

"I think we've been through this already. I don't want to return, not to that weird facility," Nico replied, taunting the man with her confident facade, arms crossing and body relieved from tension.

The man's smile crooked, twitched in disbelief, eyes complied to sternly gaze at the girls, "It seems that you're taking this conversation as bluffing. However you may see it, truth to behold, our intention for you is nullified on the side of impossible. We will capture you and deliberately bring you back into the lab, whether you are contented with our conditions or not."

Nico waved off his statement with a swish of her hand, face full of disgust and mockery, "Pshu~ Not like any of you can do that. But...," she broke her facade, face now contorted of anger and resentment, "Why would you involve an innocent person here?"

The stranger, surprised at her sudden change of mood, chuckled, "Haha! Interesting question, my dear experimental ephemeral. You see, this girl here—", he kicked the girl right at the small of her back, to which elicited a muffled yell of pain from her.

Unbeknownst to them, it had triggered a nefarious expression on Hanayo's face.

"—she actually has a Spirit Animal! Not only that, her power levels can be compared to one of the great leaders in the Government! This should give me a promotion for my outstanding exploration!", the man exclaimed, eyes so full of himself, voice tainted with malevolence.

Nozomi and Kotori were both gazing at him with wary eyes, Umi had a frightened but fierce look on her face, while Honoka was about to cower in fear, but withstood the pressure with a slouched stature.

"Tsk. Stop being so full of yourself. You're stooping this low just for a promotion? Give me a break! Not like you can even be elected as anything higher than a mere pawn!", Nico growled back, her pointed fangs showing, eyes going even redder than the last second, the same insignia forming just at the side of her neck.

And the man only laughed at her reaction, "It's not like you can understand my situation. And anyway, what can a girl have—?!"

He couldn't finish his sentence when a paw was pointing its sharpened claws at his neck at breakpoint proximity.

Hanayo, who had her eyes glowing in dark purple, stared intensely at the man, her Spirit Animal, a white lion with silver mane and spiky fur with golden streaks, pointing its claws at the stranger.

The tied girl was in deep pain, but she noticed the brown-haired girl above her. She whispered, but enough for almost everyone to her raspy whimpering voice.

"Ka... yo... chin..."

Hanayo heard her broken words but she put most of her attention to the man, and she growled at him with the lion going in sync with her actions. 

"Let. Rin. Go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rin’s cameo is very short, but next chap will have a better view of her.
> 
> Thank you for all of your support. See you next week, if I can.


	5. Episode 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hanayo blew up fuse when she saw her childhood friend beat up by the man in the formal suit. Things just got interesting. 
> 
> But one thing’s for sure, not all of them are gonna be safe just because they outnumber him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! So uh... another chapter here. And to make things clear, I do not maintain a weekly chapter. I update as soon as I finish one. Though it mostly depends on my mood.
> 
> And more on the internet capacity.
> 
> But rest assured, if I can’t finish a chapter in a duration of one week, I have back up chapters ready to be published. 
> 
> Again, thanks for all the support. I really appreciate them. Motivates me to write even though a lot of projects are piling up.

"Let. Rin. Go."

Those three words held meaning, authority, and threat. 

They were meant to do, not just asked.

And the man in the tux cautiously glanced at the intense gaze of the normally timid girl.

"Tss...," he hissed, jumping back a few meters away from harm, with Hanayo's Spirit Animal not bothering to pursue. Instead, it just retracted its outstretched paw and placed it on the ground surface.

Hanayo stood up in a straight position, her eyes looking straight at the man. Searching, scrutinizing, it held the most intense of emotions that none of the others can compare to at the moment.

"The path that you took may be different, but we are all the same. We are humans: vulnerable, weak, kind by nature. And yet... And yet...!", the brown-haired girl gripped her knuckles until they were pale and white, shaking violently with her expression going wild, "How can you treat Rin like that?!", she lamented, sharp eyes threatening tears to fall, mouth quivering.

The stranger felt a chuckle almost coming out of the back of his throat.

And it didn't lie.

He giggled almost maniacally, eyes bulging wide and mouth wide as he laughed. Hands clutched tighter on his cane for support on his laughing fit, "Hah! You wouldn't understand. My situation cannot be compared to your likes! This world is not kind enough to give me what I wanted. It did not bless me with any gifts! Instead, it had forsaken me of anything!", he mouthed in equal volume, but with much more force than Hanayo.

He held his staff out, pointing it towards them, "And now, the only thing given to me was that cheap Government and this power they call magic! And I'm going to use this to the best of its abilities none of you can ever imagine having!", he exclaimed, a bright brown light appeared on the tip of the wooden rod, molding energy from the earth pulses and shoots it at the girls.

Hanayo, too busy with her emotions, let it pass her for a second before she composed herself, "Watch out!", she yelled in a bit of a late time.

Luckily, Kotori had seen it coming, as she used her sword to block out the incoming magical power, reflecting them of it. 

However, she had not calculated the force of its impact, which resulted in her stepping back a few paces, wobbly and perturbed.

Nozomi narrowed her eyes at the man and began shooting him bullets from her purple gun. Fight fire with fire, as they say.

The projectile was accurate, and the man had no time to dodge. 

But his staff just had a mindset of its own, and reflexed out a barrier just in time before the bullet had protruded towards the man.

"Hmmph. You haven't the strength to equate me in battle. None of you can handle one of the weapons that we personnel of the Government have," he boasted, completely ignorant of the incoming black paw coming his way.

"You're wrong!", Nico yelled, her Spirit Animal's attack not budging the barrier, but it did move, if not, just a few inches, "If you think you're so full of yourself, then wait till I get my hands on you!"

The Government personnel smirked, "Well, my pride can be of use. Unlike you, I can boast about my power whenever I want! Because it's just as powerful as I claim it to be! None of you can stand a chance!"

And it clicked into Nico.

"Now then, how about I wipe you all out—"

"Hey old geezer!", the man looked at the black-haired girl, who was griining like there's no tomorrow, "Bet ya can't eat those words—"

She withdrew her Spirit Animal, her body normal and free from all the markings and the like, "—because I'm about to beat the crap out of you! And you can't stop me!"

The gentleman grew furious at the girl's oddly stubborn antics, "I had already told you, your powers won't work—?!"

Instead of hearing a loud thud of the fist colliding with the hurdle, the punch produced a loud crack in the bones on the man's cheeks.

Her hand passed through the wall.

The others had their eyes wide. They wondered how on earth did the black head manage to pass through the magical barrier.

And then it dawned on Nozomi.

"She didn't use her powers...," she whispered to herself, but clearly, Umi had heard it.

And her eyes grew wide, "What?", she asked herself, then thought of what could've gone through Nico's mind, then she had deducted, "He said that none of our powers can defeat it... so she thought about not using her powers..."

"Kind of what simple-minded people would think," Kotori, though with her intense stature, sweat dropped and deadpanned at the idea, which made Hanayo giggle.

Then the brown-haired girl put up an expression of confidence, "But her thoughts were spot on. None of us could've thought about it—"

"I would have!", Honoka raised her hand like it was class time. 

Such a childish nature, but they all agreed that even she could've thought of it. For now.

The man with the broken face groaned from his spot under the weary tree. His face was all twisty and bones were dislocated, but all in all, he seemed to be coping with it just fine, even though blood was trickling down his mouth like a faucet.

He spit out his own fluids brimming on the side of his mouth, wiping it clean with his good hand. He searched for his staff and found it just a few feet away from him. He held it and used it as a stand to help him on his feet.

"How dare you... How dare you! Damn you all!", he outrageously cried, body rampant and glare striking to the core. They sent shivers down their spines, whether they were scared or not.

He then took out something from his pocket. It looked like an old pocket watch of some sorts. But unlike and ordinary one, it had a white metal framing at the back, with its hands turning around as fast as any runners could give chase.

He smirked, "Heh. You all gave me no choice. You made me do this! Now it's time for you to pay your price wisely!", he threw the object at them.

They were all wary, of course, but Umi seemed to be more keen about this.

She had heard it ticking, after all.

"Everyone, get away! It's a bomb!", she cried out loud. 

It did the trick, however, even though everyone seemed to have caught of its objective at having them engage in a war against explosives, there was someone who was vulnerable, and could not stay away from its perimeters of detonation.

It was whom Hanayo had called Rin.

"Rin-chan!", Hanayo called out to her friend, who was still binded by ropes, unable to move.

"Ngghh...!", the orange-haired victim tried to communicate, though her mouth only shove out muffled whines and incoherent words.

"Haha! Say goodbye, you piece of trash !", the man in the tux had pointed at Rin, who was in a hopeless condition.

Hanayo sought her, riding on the back of her Spirit Animal. But she new that at the pace that they were going, she will be a few seconds delayed.

But she had tried anyway.

"Rin!", she screamed all the while stretching out her hand to pick up her friend from the ground.

But the small timer clicked.

It was about to explode.

All of their eyes went wide at the explosion that just occured. It had not occupied a lot of space, but the power of its burst could be felt through the ground.

And all of them knew just how strong it was.

Hanayo's eyes were drawing tears. They were dropping like rain, staining her cheeks and chin until they went all the way to the ground.

She whispered her friend's name, not believing of the current situation they were in.

Instead, they had all intently looked at the remains of where the outbreak had  embraced.

Fortunately, the wind blew away the dust as quickly as their eyes had widened at what they saw.

Rin was safe, unharmed even. The ropes which binded her were cut, lying by a nearby tree. Her clothes were muddy and bloody from all the beating she had probably received before their meeting as of now.

And in her stead at the core of the explosion was none other than the black-haired girl, whose clothes were ripped in large pieces, hair a bit burnt at the edge, but her face...

Her face had burnt marks on them: on her cheeks, nose, and even by her eyes. But they weren't bad enough to cause surgery.

Her hands were burnt as well. So were her feet. Her back was shown, with it having red markings that looked like ancient runes. It glowed, in sync with how her insignia etched on her hand also gleamed.

Nico let out a painful hiss, clutching the part where her heart was close, "That was terrifying...," she muttered, but they all heard it.

Well enough for the man to react so quickly, "H-How... You couldn't... You can't—How are you still alive?!", he questioned in bewilderment, only to be further enraged by how she smirked.

"Heh. You should know by now that my body has gone through a lot more than that. An explosion won't kill me," she said in a matter-of-fact tone, shoulders shrugging like she had little to no interest on the power of danger.

And it gave the man a shiver that almost made him run for his money.

Almost.

He had held on to his remaining pride, after all.

He clicked his tongue in distaste of how things went, "How despicable...," he muttered, "How unpredictable... you mindless fiends..."

His claims made Nico frown. 

He had called her a fiend.

While indeed she would agree to some extent, her sensitive emotions were, however, affected to a degree. Even after years of learning how to cope with insults and hurtful nicknames, it still gave her somewhat of a slight pang on her chest.

It hurts.

"Tch...," she gritted her teeth, canine sharp whites showed, "Wonder how long it'll take for me to stay numb with all those remarks..."

"Arghhhh!!!", the man yelled in frustration, his bloody nose and mouth continuing to overflow with his blood, the smell lingering a bit too much to be sniffed out at the distance where the girls were.

Hanayo, in relief of seeing her friend being safe, leaped from her Spirit Animal's back and rushed past everything, reaching her dear friend in a matter of seconds, "Rin!", she called out.

The short-haired girl on the ground looked at Hanayo. She bore on her face a smile that almost reached her eyes, albeit with a bad condition her body currently undergoes, "Kayo... chin!", she replied in a raspy voice, her energy being drained by each passing second.

The man saw their interaction, and his eyes grew fierce, "None of you deserve happiness...," he uttered whilst waving his staff in the air, its tip accumulating magical particles from the ground. When they were large enough, he pointed it at the two, "Die!!!"

Umi, seemingly having a great sense of hearing, rushed past the others and got in front of the two younger girls, "Get out!", she yelled.

Hanayo's eyes went wide, so did Rin's. 

Because the incoming shot was almost the size of the house.

And it didn't look like something Umi can handle.

Which is why Kotori had intervened directly in between Umi and the beam.

She hugged the bluenette, with her back facing the magic beam, clutching onto her for dear life, "Umi-chan!"

The beam hit her back.

And she let out a painful cry, loud enough to have the nearby birds fly away in fear.

Nozomi's eyes widened at the scene. Her friend had been hurt. One of the only people she can call her family was hurt in front of her.

Intentionally.

Umi was petrified. She had not known Kotori enough for her to just intervene when a destructive power heads her way. 

But the thought enough makes her eyes wet, tears forming rapidly. Chest beating in worry.

"Kotori...," she whispered, dropped down onto her knees while clutching onto Kotori, careful not to put too much pressure on the ashen haired girl's back.

Her back...

It almost looked like something out of bloody movies, with the victim having a large amount of blood spewing out of its body like a fountain.

Kotori's was not likely the case, but it relevance to how deep the wound is, it could probably outmatch. Her tissues were seen, muscles and veins barely even beating.

That was only how much Umi could hear, however.

The thumping of her heart was not constant. From slow to jumping at a fast rate, it looked like it was tired, losing the energy to even beat.

And it feared Umi.

Honoka went closer to them, hand on her mouth. She then also dropped to her knees and slowly combed Kotori's hair. She was not coping well, what with having to think of how her family died and all.

Kotori was in a terrible shape. Her fast paced breathing was reacting to the shaking of her entire body. It pained the others, too, of course. 

But it pained Nozomi the most.

And in a split second, Nozomi's eyes flashed a dark purple.

The man cackled in entertainment at his work, "Now this is what I call a surprise! Hah! Who would've thought that one single shot of my magic was enough to take down one of you!", he exclaimed in a twisted manner.

And his words were answered by a white bullet grazing through his already broken face, causing another cut to bleed.

Nozomi had her white gun pointed at the man's head, shakily but accurate. The gritting of her teeth, however, can be told as the same as Hanayo's earlier. Intense.

"You can't just laugh when one of my family is almost at death's door," she protested, gripping the handle of the gun even tighter. Tears were falling down her cheeks, eyes scrunching together, "You can't do that..."

And it triggered Nico's emotional state.

"Oi...," the ebony-haired girl called out to the man, eyes doing a side glance at the personnel, "How about we had enough of this...," the tension was getting thicker by the second, with a dark red aura swirling behind Nico, "I don't wanna play around when you already made all of them cry."

She took out two red fingerless gloves from her ruined pocket, fortunately it was unharmed as a brand new equipment. She then equipped it, placing one on each hand, burying her fingers even deeper.

The glove on her right hand was open at the back of her palm, showing the cursed mark, which burned red and black every second. 

The red aura on Nico's back slowly formed into a body. Huge, almost as tall as a tree three times the size of her height. It was colored like the midnight sky, as black as charcoal, eyes burning with passion in the color of blood, mouth like pearls shimmering under the sun. Its fur spiking out in different directions, pointing up, with red streaks at the tip. Its tail was waving back and forth sideways, always followed by a glowing white wisp at every swish.

Nico smirked and cracked her knuckles, "Alright, old man. Get ready for some beating from me," she did a fighting stance, with Nozomi getting closer to her side, to which she looked at her with acknowledgement, "I mean—from us! Cause we're gonna crank up the heat to the max!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew... Intense! And if I’m not mistaken, the next chapters will be really... OOC??? They feel like sooooooo out of the concept and plot of the story that I don’t even know if it is a part of it...
> 
> But I will show it. Not like I can change it now. It took me a lot of nights just to finish one chap, I’m not going to change it.
> 
> But I am free for any comments on my work, positive or negative feedbacks, bring it. Haha!


	6. Episode 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico and Nozomi team up to fight the man whom he calls himself as a Government official. And with the help of their Spirit Animals, they gain strength.
> 
> And they played a game in order to beat him. Fair play with two vs one, but another helped. And it was surprising.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaand another chapter out! Gotta hand it to myself, maybe going to the bathroom every night actually helps in finishing up chapters. But meh, at least now it’s done.
> 
> I’m still not sure of when I’m going to mostly post my chapters on, either Wednesday or Thursday. It just depends on when I finish a chapter...
> 
> So uh... if you can, just keep up with me. Hahahaha!
> 
> Enjoy this chap. Kind of rushed but... please bear with me. Hehe...

"'Crank up the heat', you say? I wonder if you'll ever be able to outperform my stunning power!", the man held his bloody head up high, raised his staff in midair and waving it with its energy moving with the motion of his weapon.

Nico tilted her neck, practically almost breaking them from moving side to side. Cracking up her knuckles, she set up a small smirk on her face, "Hah! Stunning, huh? We'll see about that!"

She suddenly jumped from her spot, a punch forming on her hand in midair, heading straight for the man, "Take this!"

Having little to no time to evade, he settled for a simple shield to make him a bit more time to sidestep her move. 

Her hand grazed his shoulders a bit, but it was powerful enough to send a shockwave of pain coursing through his arm. He gritted his teeth in pain, but straightened out his body just as quick as he had been vulnerable earlier.

Nozomi saw this as an opportunity to warn the others, "Hanayo, make a barrier. Make sure that all of you are inside," she commanded.

The brown-haired girl nodded and had kneeled onto one knee, hands clasped together and eyes shut in concentration, "Shield Stance!," she exclaimed, a light green light forming in between her hands, which grew in circumference by the second.

It took her less than a minute to have it occupy all of them, besides Nico and Nozomi.

Once completely aware of their safety, Nozomi turned to look at the man, full focus on him, "Alright then, it's my turn!", she yelled, then shot out three bullets from her white gun towards the man.

He grinned, however, as he managed to deflect the bullets using his staff, which was unharmed, not grazed or scratched, "Is that the best you can do?"

"Then I'll just have to do better!", a voice called out from behind, and without any warning, Nico slammed her head on his back, pushing him towards a nearby tree with exerting force.

The man grunted, stood back up as he grabbed one of the branches for support, "Tch, not bad...," he then pointed his staff towards her, "But not enough!", he then shot out a fireball.

If not for Nozomi's bullet hitting his cane at the tip to have it change its direction, "May I remind you that you are fighting two people. So please don't ignore me."

The man scrutinized his eyes, carefully gazing at his two opponents. One can attack him at a distance while the other can be a melee. His thoughts were cloudy, but his will and pride never runs out. His objective was absolute, and he'd do anything at the cost of it.

Even cheat.

"You leave me no choice. Ominous Storm!", he chanted, his staff pointing towards the sky. It shooted a lightning bolt at the clouds, bringing them closer, even the wind had magnetized in a close perimeter, and it went even faster by the second. It was roaring thunder and blowing heaps of breezes.

Until it crashed onto the ground, creating a tornado ten times the size of their house.

Nico had her eyes on the tip of the whirlwind, her Spirit Animal howling from behind, bringing closer to her fist the white wisp on its tail. She looked at her partner and smiled, "Thanks. I'll beat him with this," she said.

Then she turned to look at Nozomi, who had an eerily creepy smile on her face as she was staring at the angry hurricane. The ebony-haired girl narrowed her eyes at her, "Oi, what's with the creepy smile, boob monster?", even in a dire situation, she couldn't help but tease the purple head.

To which Nozomi turned to look at her, her earlier smile replaced by a soft one, "Well, to say the least, it doesn't look nearly as dangerous, ya know!"

Nico frowned, "What do you mean? Can't you see how big that thing is?", she pointed at the massive tornado in front of them, which was barely grazing the barrier Hanayo had put up.

"Of course, but I know how to stop it. It's really easy. Just try to grab the origin of the hurricane—", Nozomi pointed at the part where it was on the ground, "—then throw it towards him!"

Nico looked shocked, "Are you mad?! How can I grab something like that?!", she emphasized the last word, even her hands seemed to be in sync with her mouth.

Nozomi just clicked her tongue at her, "Just do it. If you won't then I'll just have to do it myself. I'm sure you can't handle it anyway, so just leave it to me," she teasingly stated, it was just false words to make Nico raise her competitiveness even higher.

And she took the bait.

"Hah! You think I can't do that?! Tss, I'll show you! I'm going to throw it even farther than you can!", she boasted, coming closer to the circle of winds, fearless of what it can even do to her.

Nozomi continued even further, "You bet I can throw it at him and have him blown away towards the city," she stated.

And Nico smirked, "Bet I can send him towards the other side of the world! Just watch!"

She then used her right hand, which was embedded by the white wisp from her Spirit Animal, to grab the tip of the hurricane. Then she lifted it up singlehandedly.

With a bit of reluctance, of course. After all, it was more than five times her size.

The man had his eyes widened at what he was seeing at the moment, "Wha-What?! How?!"

Nico grinned like a little kid, ready to throw the blasting gale, "Here goes nothing!", she then thrusted her hand from the back to the front, swaying from above then letting go of the hurricane, "Eat this, old man! Get a taste of your own power!!!"

The tornado blasted off from her clutches, to which it headed straight for him in mere second. Probably even lesser.

He had no time to expect the result, but his feet was blown off from the ground. He was swirling inside the hurricane, spinning and yelling.

"Gah—blasted buffoons! You think my own magic can beat me? Well think again!", he raised his wand a abit, chanting words that were drowned in the wind, making him descend from the storm, which dissipated into thin air like it had never been there before.

He smirked at his own work, dusting off his priceless clothes with imaginary dirt for show, "See? Now, how about we play a little game instead?", he proposed out of nowhere.

Nozomi didn't reply, even though she still had a grin on her face. Nico, however, snarled at him, "A game? Tch, think we'd fall for that? Don't you think this fight has gone long enough to just end with a game?", she snapped at him with a mean look, arms crossed.

The man chuckled painfully with how his bloody face looked, "Oh no, I wouldn't say this is just some sort of easy child's play," he then walked slowly towards the two of them, twirling the staff in his fingers, "I'm calling, something more along the lines of a bet."

Now Nozomi had her grin widened at his proposal, "Oh? And what bet would you come up with to have us agree with you?", she dared.

"Simple. This tiny thing—", he held out some sort of round orb that glowed a bright pink, it had wings attached to it, "—here is actually my life force."

Nico's eyes widened, "Your life force...?", she whispered in disbelief. "Why is it so small?", she retorted with a disappointed look on her face.

The man's composure was broken, and followed by angry remarks, "How dare you call my life force 'small'! For your information, this little orb here has all of my power to give! It is the origin of my energy!", he then calmed himself, trying to look at them as if nothinng happened, "Now then, for our game, I will do nothing."

"Nothing, huh? I don't believe you," Nico practically deadpanned at him, eyes looking bored at uninterested.

The man huffed, "Well, believe it or not, I will do as I have said. But this thing will be flying around you," he let his life force float away, higher up to the sky and then it circled the whole area rapidly.

"So we just have to hit it right?", Nozomi said, stating it with her index finger tapping onto her chin.

"You are correct. Now then," he then sat onto the ground, holding the staff with both hands clutching it, "You may begin. However, do not attempt to attack me, or else," he had readied his rod pointing straight at the barrier where the others are, "I will plunge them into unimaginable darkness where they cannot escape," he threatened.

But it was a risk the two girls were willing to take.

And Nozomi's "I-know-something-none-of-the-others-know" look had been all too clear at this point.

Just the blind perception of the man's deal made Nico more fired up, "Alright, sounds like a plan!"

She then spread the white wisp onto her other hand and feet, halving them until they were equally divided among her four body parts. Her Spirit Animal hovered above her a bit, then descending slowly.

"Heh, let me show you what the Magician has made me into!," Nico bellowed, black fur combining with flesh, body crouching and arching very wildly. Her limbs were moving, as if they were sliding onto jacket sleeves, which were being emphasized as the wolf's skin. Black fur was protruding from her skin, along with the red streaks it bore. Hands and feet turned into paws, normal teeth turned into sharp canines. Red eyes turned crimson, bloody as the darkest of velvet.

However, unlike normal wolves, Nico's wolf form was standing, stimulating that her Spirit Animal is no mere wolf.

"Keh! Meet my second phase, the Curse of the Crimson Trace!", she projected loudly, befitting of the werewolf's booming voice.

The man had sweat covering most of his face, although it went unnoticed by the others.

Except maybe Nozomi, whom had been quite calm and erudite about the current situation.

"However the situation, it is not to your liking once you have noted of what my abilities can do," he claimed, pointing at his life force, "My life force is speedy, none of you can catch it! I can say this with my pride unyielding."

Nico huffed, sounding like a loud exhale from her current form, "Yeah? Like, I can totally beat your pace! I mean, I've been running around astray ever since I was a little kid! There's no way that someone as old as you can be faster than me!", she boasted, putting her words to the test as her hind legs sprang, making her jump in the air and racing towards the small energy ball.

The man gritted his teeth in annoyance, "Pesky brat! Silence your pride and let my power show you how it's done!", he controlled his life force, making it adjust its location and move at an unimaginable pace.

Nico missed by her paw just an inch away, but quickly spun around to have her back leg kick it.

It hit, but only on the side, so it went wobbly for a bit, but it gained composure. 

Though there was an unmistakable damage left to it on its left wing side.

Blood slowly came out from the man's mouth due to the clean hit, "Go faster!", he commanded, and it went overdrive, running around in circles like the speed of light.

The black wolf landed on the ground safely, breathing heavily for a bit, "I landed a hit," she whispered to herself, "Which means it's not impossible!", she yelled to herself.

She then shrugged off the white wisp on her right hand, throwing it in the air like a ball and catching it with her hand, "Say, I kinda like this game. It's just like hitting your target with a ball!", she enthusiastically exclaimed, eyes shining like that of a small child's.

Nozomi giggled a bit at her accusations about the deal, but she made a small and fair point for herself, "Neh, Nicocchi!", she called out.

To which the ebony-colored animal gazed at her with narrowed lenses, "I never gave you permission to call me that, boob monster. Hell, you guys haven't even introduced yourselves to me!", she replied rather angrily.

The purple-haired girl smiled, "Well, I admit it is our fault that we had forgotten about telling our names, but you said so yourself, we can call you anything and you won't care about it~," she said a bit teasingly, much to Nico's chagrin.

Nico clicked her tongue, then looked away, "F-Fine! To hell with it. So what is it?!", she snapped.

"Well, let's play catch!," Nozomi stated, jumping up and down in joy and running towards the opposite side of Nico, in front of her with the life force between them at a safe distance, "The rules are: the wisp must not fall onto the ground! Whoever doesn't catch the wisp has to clean the toilets for the rest of the week," she proposed ever so eagerly.

Nico's eyes widened, "What?! Why would I want to do that?! And why the heck should I clean toilets if I lose?! I mean, it's not even my house!", she fumed, stomping on the ground like a whining kid.

"Oh? So you can't do it? What a shame then. I thought that you're good at this, guess I was wrong," Nozomi shrugged her shoulders lazily, baiting yet again the naive Nico.

"Huh?! Who said I can't do it?! You're on, boob face!", the ebony-furred mammal accepted the challenge.

To which Nozomi inwardly cheered to herself at the success of her plan.

The man contemplated on the purple head's sudden proposal, 'What is she planning?', he asked to himself.

Nico bent down on her furry hind legs, both paws clutching onto the white shadow. Mist slowly came out from her body, and in mere seconds, she was back to her normal human self, except with a bit of red furry streaks on her cheeks, ankles and shin.

"Sorry, buddy. Guess today is just one of those days where you get just a bit of the spotlight," she whispered to herself, probably meant for her Spirit Animal, and her insignia answered for her with a glow and howl.

She then put her left foot behind her sideways, her left hand clutching onto the wisp, ready to throw it, "Let's see how you handle my submissive hand! Go!", she then pushed her hand forward and let go of the wisp in less than a second.

The even faster life force dodge with a bit of millimeters just in time to evade.

However, not wanting to lose, Nozomi unleashed her Spirit Animal, the raccoon beaming its power to her, giving her agile reflexes a boost. She dashed forward to catch the wisp, then wasting no time, threw it immediately as she spun around 180 degrees.

With its back facing the wisp, the life force had been cleanly hit squarely, making it limply afloat lower than its current spot in the air.

Feeling the impact, the man made an abrupt forward movement, probably mimicking the hit from his life force. His mouth dripping even more blood.

"Che... how...," he muttered simultaneously as he wiped his mouth using the back of his hand.

Nico had caught the ball of white fire, grinning like a confident varsity player, "Hah! How did you like that, old man?! Nice right?", she then licked her lips and locked onto her target above, throwing the wisp using her dominant right hand, bringing about more than half of her strength onto the throw.

The man gritted his teeth in annoyance, forehead wrinkled with all the frustration getting into him, "I don't care if you hit it... Then I'll just have to deflect it!!!"

He somewhat outstretched his hand facing his life force, open palms glowing red.

The winged energy ball glowed of the same color, reacting to it as if it had understood.

Then, just as the wisp grew closer, it turned around 90 degrees, swiping the wisp using its wing, making it head straight towards Hanayo and the others.

Nozomi's eyes widened, so did Nico's. The man's did, too, but with a smile out of spite and victory.

"Watch out!", Nico desperately yelled in worry.

However, the shield Hanayo conjured was actually soundproof, and only words from the inside can be heard out, but not vice versa. 

Though it seemed to have been heard by Umi.

If not, faintly.

The bluenette reacted at their resonated words, looking at the others, "Get down!", she uttered, ducking her upper body, but careful not to put pressure on Kotori.

The others did as she had indicated, except Hanayo, of course, whom had kept on concentrating on the barrier.

So it was Rin who had shielded herself, "Kayochin!", she yelled, despite her voice being as raspy as an old man's.

The event was slowed down, like in slow motion. It was very decelerated, but only to Nozomi's eyes, it seemed. Having her Spirit Animal to enhance her reflexes gave her an opportunity to test her theory.

And this was the right moment.

"Honoka, catch it!!", she exclaimed at the orange-haired girl, who was not shocked in the least.

Her face seemed to be giving competitive vibes rather than being afraid.

Umi caught on with her words, confused as to why she wanted Honoka to catch it.

After all, if she can sum up Nozomi's detailed explanation about magic, it did not specify whether humans like them can touch it. It was harmful, after all, with what they just saw earlier.

However, if she had to trust instincts in unusual occurence, Nozomi would probably be the first person she'd recognize.

Save for a certain blonde worker she knew.

The barrier shattered as the wisp cracked its surface. It was too slow to catch up to, but Nozomi had her eyes on the orange head.

Honoka saw the wisp like it was a ball heading towards her (which it is). She then, in reflex, outstretched her hands with open palms in front of her.

The white flaming orb headed straight to her hands.

And it did not burn, not even hurt.

Just the impact though.

The man was caught off guard, "Guh... what in the world..."

Nico had her jaw dropped, Nozomi was grinning madly, Umi was shaken, and Rin was just worrying about Hanayo.

The brunette had been slightly taken aback as her barrier broke, luckily Rin caught her before she fell.

Honoka, however, was smirking victoriously. She stood up and jumped up and down in joy, "I did it! I caught the ball!", she screamed in delight, mistakenly saying the wisp was a ball. But it did not matter.

At least, not to Nozomi.

"Good job, Honoka-chan~ Now...," Nozomi had her schemes working out for her, then she pointed at the limping life force, "Throw it to that with everything you got!", she commanded.

To which Honoka delightedly agreed.

She nodded, then positioned herself, ready to throw, "Alright, here goes nothing!"

Then, in a split second, a shadow of brownish hue appeared behind her, humongous in size and eyes sharply staring at the floating energy ball.

Nico's jaw slacked even more, Nozomi grinned ever more widely, and Umi...  
Poor Umi, who was as close to Honoka as possible, had her face freaking out with the freakishly large entity behind her childhood friend.

It didn't seem friendly, though it showed no signs of attack.

Regardless of its intentions, however, she had fainted, due to fright.

And running out of will to accept anything anymore, at this rate.

Hurling up her strength, with the increase of help from the shadow figure behind her, Honoka mustered up enough power to throw away the wisp, the ball, towards the man's life force.

But her accuracy seems to be off a bit, to which the man victoriously smiled about, "Hah! Dodge it, quick!", he commanded.

And dodge it did, the strength of the wisp going straight.

But Nozomi's shadow suddenly appered in the air, her second Spirit Animal spreading its wings, which probably gave her the ability to fly.

She heftily caught the ball of magic, then smirked at the man, "You think you can doge this then? Sorry, but your time is up," the dragon opened its mouth, like it was about to roar.

Which it did.

And it combined with Nozomi's strong throw of the wisp.

Sensing the strength of the fling, the man's eyes widened knowingly, "Stop—!!", but his pleas were drowned by an explosion.

Caused by the bullseye hit of the wisp to the life force.

Magic and the power of Spirit Animals really do not get together.

This had proven that.

The man crumbled, screaming in agony as his body dissolved in an unusual way, freaky if you might. Flesh melting, blood seeping out, bones cracking like fireworks.

With his body no more than liquid spreading on the ground, the others looked at it it disgust.

And partially scooted even farther than their previous positions.

A few minutes of peace and quiet presumed the area. None spoke a word.

Until Nico finally wavered off from her stupor and narrowed her eyes, "Uh... so what're we gonna do about them?", she pointed at Hanayo and Rin, whom were laying on the grass, asleep. Umi fainted of course, with Kotori whimpering painfully on her lap. Honoka, knocked out from her probable show of strength, was lying next to them.

The purple-haired girl landed onto the ground with a light thud, her Spirit Animal disappearing a second later.

Only Nozomi and Nico were left standing.

"We should probably carry them to the hospital. I'll carry Umi, Hanayo, and Rin. You take care of Kotori and Honoka. Especially Kotori. Be cautious about her injury," she instructed.

Nico rolled her eyes, "Yeah yeah," she mumbled, turning into her wolf form in a split second. She bit Honoka's shirt and threw her towards her back, then had Nozomi lift Kotori and laid her on her stomach on her back before carrying the other three herself.

The wolf groaned.

"So much for going out to eat..."

 

Savage Arc

— End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First Part finished. In a flash.
> 
> Err, next chapter, I can guarantee that Makinwill make her cameo. Eli... not too sure, but Maki is there. Hahaha!
> 
> Anyways, I hope you can keep supporting this story. Thank you all for the Kudos! 
> 
> See you all on the next chapter!


	7. Episode 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nishikino Maki heads back from her office to her family’s hospital, which was passed down on to her without much of achooce since her parents weren’t around anymore.
> 
> Just as she was about to visit a friend, whom she considers as family more than any other, she found a group of girls who were huddled up on the front desk, most were injured, and two were capable of movement.
> 
> The only thing that bothered her anout this, though, was why they had those awful injuries in the first place. And why was she getting a strange vibe from the raven-haired girl?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would you look at that, an early chapter. I won’t say that I’m happy, and clearly I may be or not...
> 
> It’s just that I’m awfully tired. Haha, lots of work to do, and I’m having a hard time trying to come up with ideas for the story plots. But in just a span of three days! And so far, this one is the longest chapter! Haha! I’m proud of myself.
> 
> This chapter finally features Maki, but not her power. Haha, just a bit of flavor to the finish.
> 
> Well then, enjoy~

"Kira!"

 

"Hai!", a light brown-haired girl scrambled along with a pile of documents she took off from the table, the loud booming yell of her surname coming from her boss a room twenty feet away from hers.

 

"Talking about an early migraine," interjected a voice beside her as she walked.

 

A redhead with short wavy hair, her hand twirling the edges, amethyst eyes peering over at her.

 

The brunette smirked, "Seems so, Nishikino-san."

 

The redhead sighed, "I told you, I'm practically a year younger than you. You can just call me by my name," she stated.

 

But the other girl just laughed at her, "And yet even you haven't called me by the same method, Nishikino Maki-san~", she replied teasingly, making the redhead, Maki, blush and twirl her hair even more.

 

"I-It's different. I already told you, you're older than me," she defended.

 

But the girl just brushed her off, "Yeah, I don't think so. We're business partners here. There's no older or younger. Just the stations. But since we're even in the position, it's only fair."

 

It took some time before Maki heaved out a sigh, a long one, "Fine... Tsubasa then..."

 

And it made the brunette, Tsubasa, grin in achievement.

 

Unannounced though, a flash suddenly went off in front of Maki, making her blind temporarily at the sight of brightness.

 

Tsubasa had her phone held up with the camera facing Maki, apparently being the source of the redhead's discomfort, "Honoka would love to see you flustered once in a while," she explained, quickly pocketing her phone before Maki could snatch it from her.

 

The redhead rubbed her eyes, groaning in annoyance, "Mou~ I don't want to have that idiot clinging onto me again! It's getting frustrating," she whined pathetically.

 

To which triggered a giggle from the other worker, "I admit, it does make me jealous to have her hug another besides me, but I can't disagree with her comment on you being cute while flustered," she confessed, opting Maki to pry off more answers from her.

 

"Look, just because you like her doesn't mean you can just agree with everything she says," she sternly glared, arms crossed and legs shifting weight from one another.

 

"It's because I like her that I can agree with what she says. Some are true, after all," she settled the documents onto her arms and looked apologetically at Maki, "I'm running late for the passing of these papers. Maybe later, Maki!", she yelled before sprinting onto the hallway of offices, racing towards her boss's room.

 

The redhead sighed, "She didn't realize she called me by my name... talk about being busy," she thought to herself before walking back to her room, picking up her red velvet purse and white lab coat. She then went out of the building, strutting along the many people on the street.

 

She passed buildings and street parlors along the way. Some even tried to stop her for sales. She refused all of them, however, as she seemed to be heading straight for a tall white building, distractions out of the way.

 

She headed straight for the hospital.

 

"It seems that Eli can be discharged today...," she muttered to herself, getting in front of the counter to ask for permission about her reason of visiting.

 

"Room 135, just knock if you would. A doctor might be inside for her last analysis, but I won't think she'll mind having her patient's guardian coming in," the lady in the counter softly uttered, pointing towards the west wing of the building where Maki was currently supposed to go.

 

The redhead thanked the woman and walked straight ahead towards the direction as per instructions.

 

Her attention was caught up by a girl and a... kid, loudly chattering as they entered the estate.

 

"You do know that they are heavy, right? Especially this one!", the kid grumpily held out an orange-haired girl she was clutching by the collar.

 

The girl with purple hair giggled, "My my, to think I thought you were strong enough to carry just two people. Guess I was wrong then. Here, hand her to me," she made room on her shoulder to carry the poor orange head.

 

But the small girl with black hair narrowed her eyes, "Whoa whoa whoa, I'm strong okay? And it's not like I need your help! I can carry these two myself, thank you very much!", she cried out, stomping all the way up to the front of the counter.

 

The purple head giggled behind her palm, eyeing the kid mischievously, then strutting towards the counter herself, "A room for each of them please," she said to the woman.

 

Of course, who wouldn't be surprised when two people suddenly show up at the hospital carrying about five girls singlehandedly.

 

And a child with burnt flesh and clothes.

 

One has a gaping bloody hole on her back.

 

Two seemingly unharmed but unconscious.

 

And another two that's been beaten up and tossed around like ragged dolls.

 

The woman by the counter gulped, shakily forcing her arm to write down on a paper, "U-Uhm, Rooms 130 to 136 should be unoccupied, except for Room 135 since a patient has yet to be discharged. But you can help yourselves to rest your...," She didn't know what to comment on their situation but she held her breath, "... companions on the beds. I will call for a doctor to assess them as soon as I can," she grasped onto her pen tightly as she let out a shaky sigh.

 

Nozomi might have took notice of this, but her face seems nonchalant enough to fool, "Thank you very much~ Let's go, Nicocchi!"

 

The black-haired girl rolled her eyes, "Stop telling me what to do. I know," she grumbled as she practically threw Honoka over her shoulders like a sack of potatoes and carefully adjusted her lift on Kotori's limp body.

 

Maki frowned at them, "Great, weirdos," she thought, weaving her hand through her hair as usual.

 

But her gaze did land somewhat to the ebony-haired girl's direction, almost subconsciously.

 

Though she did wonder how she manages to accumulate such heavy weights with such a small body.

 

At such a young age.

 

If you ask her, she'd probably give you the answer of them being delinquents.

 

If it weren't for the familiarity of the purple-haired girl.

 

"She's one of the police officers...," she mumbled to herself, judging by her face she was serious.

 

But judging by the way she looked at the mysterious smile of Nozomi...

 

Well, let's just say she had apparently overestimated them.

 

But with how indulged she had been at eyeing them, she hadn't noticed Nico glancing her way.

 

And from the looks of things, she was not pleased.

 

"Oi!", she caught the redhead's attention successfully, earning a surprised glance looking her way, "Why are you staring at us?", she accused. If her hands weren't full, she would've pointed her finger at her by now.

 

Maki was taken aback by the child's accusations, then sent a glare of her own in annoyance, "W-What?! I wasn't staring!", she replied angrily.

 

And Nico just waved it off, face doubting, "Yeah, right, like I'd believe that. You've been gaping at us since we entered. Didn't think I caught you huh?", she then smirked, causing a mad expression showing off from Maki's face.

 

"Look, kid, aren't you a bit too young to be observant?", she did not notice how Nico's face faltered since she had turned her gaze towards Nozomi, "And shouldn't you teach her some manners? I mean, we can't have her running around pointing fingers at others. You are her guardian."

 

"Hey! I wasn't pointing my fingers!", "I would've if I could," Nico thought, grumbling and mumbling incoherent words of her own.

 

Though Nozomi seems to have been riding with the atmosphere a little bit too much for comfort, "I'm sorry, Miss. I'll be sure to take care of my daughter once we get home," she giggled behind the back of her palm, eyeing Nico mischievously.

 

And it did incinerate Nico's anger, "You're not my mother! Now leave me alone! Hell, I wouldn't even consider myself as your child!", she then turned to look at Maki, "And you! How dare you call me a child?! Are you out of your mind?! If possible, I'd say I'm older than you!"

 

Taken aback, Maki's eyes widened, "R-Really?", she contemplated for a bit, "How old are you?"

 

Nico bit the insides of her cheeks, huffing them afterwards, "17," she mumbled.

 

But it was loud enough for the redhead to hear. And it elicited a surprised expression to show up, "Eh?"

 

And her reaction was enough for Nico to put up a smirk of her own, "Oh? You didn't expect that, didn't you? Thinking I was a kid of all things... stupid people...," she was victorious, at first. But she walked away grumbling and stomping, as if she had became mad again.

 

And then there left two.

 

Nozomi laughed lightly at the slight younger girl's actions, then she gazed back at the supposedly younger girl, "Sorry about her. She can't seem to control her temper. But I assure you, she meant no harm," she politely apologized.

 

And Maki became flustered at the sudden words of sorry, "N-No, it's okay. I misunderstood her, so I'm to blaim as well," she unconsciously twirled her hair again.

 

And this made Nozomi smile even more, then she motioned for her to follow, "I believe your room is Room 135, correct?"

 

Surprised would be an understatement, but considering their status as strangers, she subtly showed it, "How do you know that?"

 

"Lucky guess," the purple-haired girl shrugged, opting to trudge forward, but an evident grin was plastered on her face.

 

And it did not sink Maki's confusion. In fact, it fueled her forming imagination. And she did not like it one bit.

 

Though she did follow her, as per her words.

 

"So... what happened... uhm...," she pointed at the unconscious girls Nozomi was carrying. She would've done the same to whom Nico was carrying, but she was too far off to even be bothered.

 

Nozomi did not glace back at her, instead kept her gaze forward, "We were attacked by one of the personnel from the Government," she stated without any restraint.

 

Being calm at the right time does have its perks.

 

For a second, her words made Maki halt, but continued just as quick. Just a short circuit problem, "W-What? Why would the Government...," she thought silently.

 

But with Nozomi's combined impeccable hearing and foretelling skills, it was a small thing for her to easily hear, "Because we have something—", 'Rather someone', "—that they need. But it seems that they have been unsuccessful this time. Not sure in the future, though," she answered, much to Maki's horror.

 

The redhead bit her nail in frustration, "I mean, my parents have connections with them. They are well known, after all. But it doesn't make any sense. Why would they attack police officers?"

 

The purple head clicked her tongue playfully, to which Maki made the effort to look at her, "Don't just think about the obvious. Think generally. Not police officers. Citizens," she pointed out.

 

"Citizens?", Maki tilted her head, almost coming to a conclusion, but still a bit far away.

 

Nozomi smiled, not softly, but solemnly, "Think about it. People from the Government had no ulterior motives whatsoever when it came to us mere citizens. Not the police, not the doctors, not even those from the army. So why should they care now?", she simplified.

 

Had it been any other, it would've took longer to realize. But to someone like Nishikino Maki, it was as clear as any day.

 

"Wait... you don't mean...!"

 

Nozomi nodded, "It seems to me that they're currently ongoing with a plan involving the capture of Spirit Animals."

 

"The Spirit Animals are their primary targets...," Maki murmured, one hand on her chin, "But there are lots of other Spirit Animals all over the city! How come they've specifically targeted you... oh..."

 

It clicked onto her head.

 

And Nozomi couldn't have liked it any other way.

 

"Yes... we have their long lost experiment, Project 001," she clearly stated, not bothering to even glance at her, though she did think of her reactions.

 

And as usual, they were spot on.

 

An unreadable expression was on the redhead's face, her bangs covering her eyes, "Who...?", she asked vulnerably.

 

She had heard about the escape of the one called Project 001. It was a controversy to behold amongst the higher ups. It caused an uproar, after all.

 

But that was not the real reason why she had queried more than she would've liked.

 

Project 001, also known as the Lone Savage. A beast. If not, a viscous and cruel epitome of a demon. Had it not attacked their house the other day, just a few weeks ago, she would've shrugged it off like any other being.

 

But that was not the case.

 

Though Nozomi did give her the liberty of knowing whom she had set her spite on.

 

"It's her," she notioned to the girl a few meters away from them, who was grouching and snarling with anger along the way.

 

And if Maki couldn't get any more weird surprises, then this would've been the biggest one yet.

 

And the most begrudging.

 

"Her?!", her lonely daze about the occurence of the incident between her family and, strangely, the girl had dissipated and was shifted to surprise and disbelief, "How can someone like her be the Lone Savage?! I mean, her spunky attitude can be considered, but this is ridiculous! And foremost, she is carrying injured people to the hospital! How ironic...," she spat.

 

If ever, the purple-haired girl can relate to her reaction.

 

But she took a left turn.

 

"At first, yes, it was really ironic for us too," she then looked at Nico with a smile, "But once you get to know her, she'd just be like any other human out there that cares for others, surprisingly so."

 

Maki scrutinized her eyes at her, frowning, "I can hardly believe that someone who kills people cares for one," she spat venomously, dangerously so.

 

Though she did once again twirl her locks, crossing her arms as she walked.

 

Nozomi hummed in exchange for her reply, glancing at one point over to her side, then grinned annoyingly. It irked Maki even more, but not as much as how she had despised the girl ahead of them.

 

"You know, if you really want to know what her reason was for killing people, you should just go ahead and ask her," she warmly told the younger girl, who had frowned even harder, lower and more annoyed.

 

The redhead clicked her tongue, then evaded eye contact, "I don't need to ask. Her actions were clear enough as it is," she snorted.

 

And yet the purple-haired girl kept the smirk on her face, "But the reason behind was not," she stated knowingly, then abruptly stopped. Her feet stood just on one spot, unmoving.

 

Maki did too, though she knew why.

 

Nico had stopped as well.

 

She gently placed Kotori down onto the ground, careful not to have her wound touched, then carefully lifted Honoka and put her beside the ashen haired girl.

 

Then she looked at Nozomi, a sharp expression on her face, eyes gleaming with anger, "One of the Government officials is here," she uttered vehemently, gritting her teeth afterwards.

 

Nozomi looked a bit frightened by the fact, not that she was afraid of them, but because of what they might do to their fallen comrades.

 

Especially the burdened Kotori.

 

"Where?", she queried.

 

Maki didn't say a word, she just listened to them quietly like a good kid hearing secrets from adults.

 

"Up ahead, to the right, sixth room on the left corridor," was the hushed reply of the ebony-haired girl.

 

And the redhead knew of the exact location which Nico just explained.

 

She grasped onto Nozomi's barely ripped shirt and with pleading eyes, she begged, "Take me there," she commanded, softly but with authority. It was slight, more on the desperate side.

 

And Nico begged to differ, "What makes you think that we'll go along with you? I mean, I know I wouldn't," "I would if I didn't make a great tragedy befall on you", she thought, but that was beside the point.

 

Maki had looked at her disapprovingly, but her main target of help was Nozomi, who had this unreadable expression planted on her face.

 

She was about to give her reply, but a sudden groan from the side made her stop. Even Maki and Nico looked at the source.

 

Honoka was conscious.

 

Somehow, because she was clutching her head with one hand and her eyes were swirling.

 

"Uhm... what happened...?," She slurred, shaking her head then looked directly at Nozomi and Nico. And gave a confused glance at Maki.

 

Nico's face brightened, then she patted Honoka's shoulders, "Don't move."

 

"Eh?", the oblivious orange-haired girl tilted her head, wondering why Nico was telling her that.

 

The ebony-haired girl then motioned Nozomi to place down the three she was carrying, "I want you to guard them, with your life. Don't let them out of your sight, okay?", Nico emphasized, eyes narrowing.

 

Honoka was completely not in sync with Nico, but she seemed to be okay with the term 'guard them' and 'don't let them out of your sight'. Even though she hardly knew the reason why.

 

"Okay!", she saluted energetically, then gazed at Kotori intensely.

 

Causing a chop on the head from Nico, "Not that intense. And keep a look out for suspicious people. Never talk to others. Got that?", she said.

 

She earned an eager nod from the one-year younger girl.

 

Nico let out a sigh of relief, then, when Nozomi had placed the other three down, motioned for her to go towards the specified location, "Let's move. I don't wanna alarm a lot."

 

Then stopped to look at the determined redhead, who's gaze was burning with care and passion.

 

And Nico couldn't bare to avert her gaze at such eyes brimming with emotions.

 

She let out a sigh, then motioned for her to come along, "Well, you coming or what?", she asked, annoyed. But with a satisfied smirk at the redhead's happy expression.

 

Which quickly turned sour.

 

"W-Well, it's not like I need permission from you...," she denied, but followed them anyway. But with crossed arms.

 

Nico allowed that, at least.

 

"A tsundere of all people... I can make adjustments for her attitude, but I won't hope for her apology in return," Nico thought along the way, despair gravily consuming most of her pride.

 

But she never let that happen.

 

At least, not again.

 

As they rounded up the corner, Nozomi summoned her raccoon dog, whispering incoherent words, followed by a purple glow on her right hand.

 

She held out the once glowing hand as the light withdrew and formed a box-shaped device with a metal frame and wooden body.

 

She then threw the object to the middle of the hall, which it dug itself into the tiled floor and camouflaged itself.

 

Maki was, to say the least, not surprised by the appearance of Nozomi's Spirit Animal, nor by her mysterious power of making things appear on her palm.

 

But Nico was.

 

Well, not really. She was just curious as to what Nozomi made.

 

"What was that dice thing?", she asked.

 

And the byzantium-haired girl just smiled at her, "That, Nicocchi, is one of my inventions. A time machine!", she cheered, clasping her hands together like a teenager seeing her high school crush.

 

And it made Nico writhe in disgust, "You sure that's a time machine? It couldn't even fit me," she defended, clearly annoyed.

 

Which was silenced by a heavy sigh coming from the redhead.

 

"To think the despicable Savage was someone like you... I don't understand...," Maki grumbled, but clearly intended for the other two to hear.

 

Nico's eyes narrowed, mouth frowning, "Didn't anyone ever tell you not to butt in on an adult's discussion?"

 

But it was replied by a glare, followed by a snort, "Yes, they did. Though I can hardly consider you as an adult," Maki sneered, a satisfied smirk on her face.

 

Nico looked like she was about to explode, but calmed her nerves down before she could wreak havoc to the hospital.

 

"Tss... let's just get this over with. You need to help your friend, right?", the black-haired girl brushed off, looked at the hallway, which seemed to have been stopped midway using Nozomi's rather weird invention.

 

The redhead, pride no longer present, faltered, mouth agape.

 

Nozomi noticed this and approached her question, "Were you surprised by how she knew that?", she guessed.

 

And the reaction she got was answered correctly, "H-How—you know what, I don't even want to ask anymore," Maki interrupted her own sentence before she even bothered to finish.

 

Catching up to Nozomi's predictions caught the purple-haired girl up, surprised by the sudden dejection by the redhead.

 

"Another smart one. Interesting," she mumbled to herself, then followed Nico to the actual location.

 

With Maki in tow, of course.

 

The redhead would've walked ahead if it weren't for a black-haired girl up on front.

 

Thanks to Nozomi's time machine, time itself was stopped, but only limited at a certain perimeter, just wide enough to consume the whole corridor. Even the nurses and doctors heading their way had paused during their motion of walking by.

 

A few more steps and they had been in front of the door where the person inside the room was whom they were growing suspicious of.

 

Nico lowered her body, ears pressed against the door, one hand raised in the air, "Wait," she hushed.

 

'I believe you know what I meant by that, correct?', she heard an elder woman's voice say, rather very strictly and pushy.

 

Then she heard another voice, but from a young woman, probably just below her 20s, 'My answer has not changed. I don't know what you're—!'

 

A loud slap was audible by the other wall, even Nozomi and Maki could hear it, if not, just barely.

 

But they were shocked regardless.

 

'I demand that you tell me this instant. Where is Nishikino Maki?', the seemingly elder woman persisted, and Nico only heard a whimper after that.

 

Though the woman's voice was loud enough for Maki to barely grasp onto their conversation.

 

And as she heard her name, she had enough of beating around the bushes.

 

She moved Nico out of the way, then opened the door herself, greeted by a woman with grayish hair from the roots to green by the tips. Wrinkles adorned her pale face, charcoal eyes steeled and uncaring, face showing disinterest, arms resting on a silver cane she was holding, clothes like that of a business woman.

 

In front of her was a blonde youth with azure blue eyes, left cheek tinted with a red mark, possibly from the slap sound earlier. Her clothing was something that sort of resembled a patient's gown, but only a bit dirty and disheveled.

 

Maki's eyes widened at the scene in front of her, especially at the sight of her dear friend and only family. She gritted her teeth and waltzed straight towards the woman, facing her head on with her arms spread, clearly showing protection and care towards the blonde.

 

"Maki...," the young foreign girl whispered the redhead's name affectionately, a bit relieved when she saw how she had her arms open in sign of protection.

 

The woman in front of them clicked her tongue, not a befitting habit that someone as old as her should do. But she did put up a smile, a wicked one.

 

"Well, it seems like I have no more need to press for information. My target has come with even the tiniest of effort," clearly it was a lie, but her facade could've been failed to notice.

 

"Nishikino Maki, you're my target."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo..... I’d rather introduce Eli at a later date. Probably the next few chapters. I’m having a difficult time dealing with many characters at once. I’m only one human. Hahahaha.
> 
> See you all on the next chapter. Hopefully I can update another one by the end of Thursday. If I can. Hahaha.
> 
> See ya next time~


	8. Episode 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nozomi and Nico interact with yet another member of the Government, along with Maki whom had been a bit overprotective of a certain blonde. What qualms will they be getting this time?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late update. I’m really busy, and the projects just keep on piling up. I don’t even know if I can continue this, but I do try my best.
> 
> Anyways, this chap may be a bit short(?). So please bear with me.

* * *

* * *

* * *

"Ngh..."

 

Honoka's ears perked at the groan coming from her side. It was unnatural with how she could hear such a barely inaudible sound, but with the appearance of her mysterious Spirit Animal, it was obvious.

 

"Umi-chan!", she screamed happily, then pounced onto her childhood friend, but was pushed away by the bluenette's hand.

 

Umi sighed at Honoka's antics, then glared at her for a bit, "Can't you save your enthusiasm for a bit? I'm still... quite shocked about earlier," was her modest answer, to which the orange-haired girl just pouted.

 

"Mou~ You're so mean...," she murmured, cheeks puffed playfully and sulkily.

 

But her head was hit by a chop from Umi's hand, "Stop acting like a kid," she scolded her before looking around, noticing how the place was all white from the walls to the ceilings, tiles of the same color, metal doors and glass windows.

 

She frowned, "Are we... in a hospital?", she asked, clueless of her current surroundings.

 

Honoka shook her head, then stopped and looked at her weirdly, then tilted her head to the side, "Mmm... Maybe?", she replied in question, accent curving her statement to an inquiry.

 

'Should've known', the bluenette thought, giving herself a bit of a disappointed pat on the back, but straightened her thoughts afterwards, "But why are we on the floor?"

 

Honoka tapped her index finger on her chin, remembering, "Nico-chan said that we should wait here, and to not talk to strangers! Oh, and to guard Kotori-chan and the others!", was the orange head's honest reply.

 

But with the mere point out of a certain ash-haired girl, Umi went into panic almost immediately, "How's Kotori?!", she yelped in concern, looking over to the sides to see if she can find said girl.

 

And she spotted her just at the other side of Honoka. She quickly got up from her position and hovered over the injured girl, looking down on her wound, "Is she okay?", her concerned voice muttered.

 

Honoka frowned apologetically, "I don't know... But she looks pained," she answered, sincerity evident on her soft tone.

 

Umi couldn't blame her though. Even she wouldn't have done anything if she was in her stead. The gaped injury on Kotori's back was very complicated, when compared to a professional's eyes. One wrong touch could lead to even the worst case scenarios.

 

Rather, they'd just come to a conclusion of letting it be for the moment.

 

At least, until Nozomi and Nico arrive to pick them up.

 

Speaking of, "Where are Nico and Nozomi?", Umi looked around for the other two she had absentmindedly called out. When she heard from Honoka about the instruction Nico specifically dictated, she had the doubt of thinking they were out to do other things.

 

Her childhood friend crossed her arms and furrowed her brows, lowering her head down, thinking, "Well, they didn't really tell me exactly. But I think they were headed over there," she pointed at the location where she remembered the other two, and another, had gone.

 

Umi frowned. "I wonder why...," she mumbled to herself, thinking of what could've possibly had them up and went somewhere.

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

A clicking sound came from Nozomi's purple gun, having it charge energy from the earth pulse and readying her ammo. She steadily pointed it towards the woman in front of them, eyes narrowed and wary.

 

The redhead, Maki, had beads of sweat adorning her face, trickling down onto her neck and below, dripping from the tips of her hair, and mostly on the edge of her chin. Her shaking outstretched arms still hardened and unfaltering as it managed to show protection for the blonde foreigner behind her.

 

Nico, however, was standing there by the door, having just recovered from the push of the redhead in between getting inside. But somehow when she looked at the woman whom was a part of the Government...

 

She couldn't help but feel frightened. At the risk of something she had in her mind.

 

With her claiming to have memories of a certain someone.

 

'Do you trust me?'

 

"Nishikino Maki... daughter of the past owners of this self-proclaimed hospital," the woman exclaimed, raising her arms by her side, cane intact on her right hand, "What a surprise. I was actually foretelling that you would've arrived by the time I could've killed your dear friend," she pointed her rod at the blonde girl sitting on the bed, eyes crazed with the thought of killing her.

 

And it irked Maki to no end how a woman of her age was able to talk about killing her only family left with lesser guilt and more want.

 

She steeled her stance even more, sustaining another batch of fear for dear life, "I won't let you lay a finger on her," she decided, with fright but more on the defensive side.

 

Though the only sense it gave the woman was her sense of appeal, somehow wanting to laugh than not, "Oh, don't you worry. Once you're out of my way, I can easily break her tiny little neck," she even showed her fingers trying to strangle the one whom Maki had become overprotective of.

 

But a bullet had passed through in between them, grazing at the woman's index finger by the tip, blood slowly forming out from the slit on the skin.

 

Nozomi had pulled on the trigger, eyes cold but with good intentions. She lowered the gun, then sighed, "I don't mean to interrupt, but I'd rather not have another victim lay limply at a room where we are supposed to rest our friends," she grinned, taking out the white gun from its holster and retracting the purple to its own.

 

The Government official snorted, hands on her hips, "You mean to say we are not allowed to kill victims here? This is a hospital, a lot of people come and go, live and die as they please," she answered, but after a second her voice became void of any emotion, "And what do you mean by 'another victim'?", she asked, staff placed on the tiled floor with a loud thud.

 

The purple-haired girl hummed, slowly running her fingers through the side of the gun, smiling, "I have no intention of revealing my actions, but wherever this meaningful conversation leads to, the end is always the same," she directed the aim of her gun towards the woman, specifically at her forehead, "The bad guy always seems to fail, whatever the situation," she finished.

 

Causing the woman to be silenced, then abruptly cackled, more like how a psychotic person would react, "You really think it's that easy to get rid of me? However worthy you may be to best me in any battle, the objective with more fruitful results ends up to success. But it actually depends on who carries out the role," she giggled, then pushed a button that was attached to her cane, an image was then projected from the staff, someone whom they had just encountered not too long ago, "You managed to beat Samson, yes?"

 

Nico's eyes widened, then remembered the man who attacked them earlier.

 

All because she was there.

 

'Will you do that for me?'

 

'...'

 

Nozomi's eyes softened, but her directive towards the woman never swayed, "You can say that. Though I can't seem to understand why you would even mention him," she muttered.

 

This time, it was the woman who begged to differ, canceling the afterimage levitating in the air with just a press from a button, "I wanted you all to know that he is nothing more than just a soldier. A mere pawn to stagger you, to manipulate you into thinking what we are capable of with just one man! But get this," she then showed a tattoo mark which was heftily printed onto her bicep, to which the other four occupants of the room faltered for a moment at the revelation of what seemed to be something very gruesome.

 

The personnel grinned, eyes widening with excitement, hand clutching onto a spot where a mark was shown on her arm, "My magic is at least ten times more powerful than that good for nothing sentinel with the use of this!"

 

"That's...," Maki murmured, disbelief evident on her tone of voice.

 

The purple-haired teen shook, not violently but slightly, her mind beginning to lose all its previous concentration and confidence.

 

The ebony-haired girl, however, didn't react as much. Instead, she just kept her eyes straight, monotonously gazed.

 

'I am a sinner.'

 

'You must fear me.'

 

"No...," she whispered to herself, steadying her frantic emotions from going wild at any moment.

 

She locked her gaze at the mark on the back of her hand, the one whom he had given to her, what he made her into.

 

But this is also what made her to the one she is right now.

 

'You have to kill me.'

 

'No...'

 

"This mark represents the Sinners during the reincarnation of whom we call the Magician. The one responsible for all of the animal's extinction!", the woman screamed, a powerful energy coming from the mark being absorbed by her, an aura constantly forming around her body.

 

Her overall appearance was the same, but when it came to strength, she did not back down.

 

And neither did them.

 

Especially with an ongoing war inside the black-haired girl's head.

 

'This is your chance. Run.'

 

'No...'

 

"Get this! Your chances of winning are too close for comfort. I won't go easy, if you don't mind. At least, not when the Magician's power is with me!", the Government associative gleamed, pointing her wand dangerously in front of her, targeting Maki and her friend.

 

The redhead closed her eyes, preparing for the incoming attack, but never losing faith.

 

Nozomi gritted her teeth, she sheathed her weapon back to its proper disposition and was ready to pounce forward but was stopped when a shadow passed her at neck breaking speed.

 

Just in time before a fire ball was unleashed, Nico pushed the staff out of the two victims' wake, her hand now turned into a black claw with red glowing streaks at the tips of its five pointed fingertips.

 

The woman clicked her tongue in annoyance at the sabotage attempt, "What the—!"

 

Nico growled, eyes shrunk in pure anger. Her claw, unlike her Spirit Animal's, was bursting with dark magic. Even blood seems to have been mixed into its formation, as it was dripping from all sides like cuts evenly made at each edge.

 

"You...!", her teeth clashed, canines getting even longer by the second, hair turning red by the tips and her eyes...

 

Her eyes were the shade of blood. Dark and crimson swirling in sync. Even the shine was brought down by the jet black shades overshadowing the area.

 

"You... have no right to say that about him!", she responded with loud vocals, tone higher by a note. And if it wasn't enough to shake their wits out of them, the hospital rumbled, withstanding a what seemed to be an earthquake raging from 7 to 8 on magnitude.

 

Maki swayed from her position, but was balanced with the help of her friend, who was luckily sitting on the bed.

 

Nozomi leaped from her spot, her second Spirit Animal spreading its wings, making her float in the air without the sense of gravity nor the feeling of being staggered befalling upon her.

 

The woman was surprised, as she had used her cane as a supporter for her balance, "This is insane...," she whispered to herself.

 

Nico heard of this, however, as she unleashed even more despair from her protruding sharp paw, a black aura forming, not around her but only on her claw.

 

"I'm not done yet!", she yelled, outstretched her hand and clobbered the woman using her seemingly infested arm.

 

The impact made the personnel gag by the sudden push of air out of her system, then her whole body twisted in mid air directed towards a wall, which had broke upon intact.

 

But she wasn't done yet.

 

Nico dashed forward, eyes the only thing they could catch with how fast she moved. At a speed no one could manage to calculate, she locked her normal hand onto the woman's dress shirt, gripping it tighter until her own knuckles turned white, then turned around, ready to throw.

 

"This is what you get for insulting him!", Nico forced the words out of her throat, tears running down her face like a broken faucet, then gave all of her strength onto her good left hand. And without any warning, she flung the old woman up above towards the ceiling, making it crash down towards them in sheer force.

 

The falling debris gave Maki and her friend no choice but to duck and cover their heads using their bare hands as a shield, "Take cover!", Maki instructed.

 

But Nozomi didn't follow. Instead, she used her Spirit Animal's power to evade the incoming rocks and blocks heading their way by the center of gravity.

 

And before she even landed onto the solid floor, she looked around for any signs of the woman, and when she saw her falling body, she quickly headed towards her and caught her just in time before she could make contact with the floor.

 

Upon the fading of the mist caused by the fallen rocks, Nico was shown having her expression told as scornful and enraged, nearly red from utter animosity and frustration.

 

When she saw Nozomi saving the life of whom had just suggestively stated that the Magician was a person whom had created a tragedy, her temper rose up to more levels than the previous ones. She scrunched up her eyes and snarled, "Why did you do that?! Let her die!", she exclaimed, her remarks dripping with venom and hatred towards the woman in Nozomi's clutches.

 

"I can't let people die just because of revenge," the purple-haired girl stated, her body floating down towards the ground, planting her feet onto the floor, "If I have to kill, I will. But if I let people die for absurd reasons then my mission of protecting citizens comes first."

 

Her claims made the ebony-haired girl even more infuriated, making her teeth sink even more on her lower lip, blood forming out from the puncture, "Tsk... She doesn't have any right to be protected—"

 

"But I have the right to protect her," Nozomi beat her to it, eyes almost pleading, "Please, Nico. Don't despair. Never make a grudge," she pleaded, hands clasped in front if her, letting the woman lay on the broken ground.

 

An angry snarl came from Nico, showing her opposition towards the plea, "I will never forgive them...," she muttered, helplessly shaking her arms on her sides, "I will never forgive them for how they treated me. A lab rat! And I will never forget the torture they put a lot of people into! I will never ever ignore those times!"

 

Then she showed her glowing insignia imprinted on her hand, "Her so-called Curse which came from the Magician? Which was born from his reincarnation? That was all a fake!", she proved her words when she clutched the mark on her hand, eliciting a searing pain from it, with the follow up of smoke, "This one is the real thing. Because unlike those, he bestowed this upon me!"

 

She looked at the other two who were nearly helpless in their current situation, "And this thing changed my life. I wouldn't be here if it weren't for this. If it weren't for him! He was my only pillar during the escape from the Government facility! But he was also the one who had abandoned more than thousands of animals around the world just because he was selfish for power! And yet... And yet...!"

 

Tears were falling like waterfalls on her eyes. Nico was practically using her hands to wipe out the entire saltwater express, getting emotional from all the exclaims.

 

"And yet... He was guilty. And that was the best thing to ever be considered from someone who had deducted himself as a Sinner. Which is why my sympathy for him cannot be compared."

 

Nozomi softened her gaze, the sincerity in her eyes pure. She never really knew the reason why Nico would react so strongly towards someone whom had given her a curse that cannot be broken.

 

Some stuff cannot be figured out without proper explanation and evidence, after all.

 

Then suddenly, without warning, the woman from her clutches came loose, teleporting herself into a safe distance just above them, face bloody from her head down to her eyes, nose, cheeks and chin. Her crazy stare boring into the back of the black-haired girl.

 

"Project 001... Only you would react to an insult directed to someone as useless and unintelligent as the Magician," the woman uttered in a teasing but irritating manner,

 

Nico's eyes widened even more at her words.

 

And everything soon darkened in her eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhhhhhh!!! Too short! Hahahah! What the heck?!
> 
> But uhm, if you can bear with me then I thank you for your patience. Till next time~


	9. Episode 9: Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico reminiscences the time when all of her misfortunes came to be, and how it all worsened. Or did it? Perhaps it just relieved her of all the bad omen?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the first part of chapter 9, which is a flashback of when Nico left her home to run away. Nothing too grand, just a short chapter. Hope you all will enjoy this~

_12 years ago..._

 

_A black-haired kid about three feet tall was walking limply by the streets of Otonokizaka. During the anniversary of the acknowledgment of people for the one known as the Magician, a year after that tragic incident had citizens commemorate for the end of a very momentous event that had the Government running off to rebuild a life without animals._

 

_True for this world that it had made their lives worse, what with how others had animals for livestock and farming, for some it had been a nightmare._

 

_Especially for this tiny girl, who had nothing on except a ragged brown sack she used to cover her body with._

 

_Because of the separation of animal souls from their vessels, their spirits roamed the world, cordially entering themselves into the highest ranked species in terms of intelligence._

 

_And it included the young girl._

 

_Which is the reason why she was isolated. Her parents had known about the existence of an animal inside her. But they accepted her, unlike what any other conscious family out there would do._

 

_The only problem is, her father died because of the spirit living inside her._

 

_Her family could take it, yes, but she wouldn't._

 

_So she herself had left her family, walking down the pavement with no aim to follow. Her gaze was mostly downcast, eyes null and devoid of any emotion._

 

_This continued on for roughly four years, her current age nine. She grew at least about the same height as a store window where she could easily see what's inside. Her body was pale, frail, and thin. Not the typical type where you can almost substitute her for a skeleton, but one that needs to eat more as her bones appear very detectable, inappropriate for someone of her age._

 

_She wore the same clothes as before, but more ripped than the previous years. In addition though, she seemed to have something on her hand, but didn't show._

 

_With her aimless walk to nowhere, she arrived at the edge of Jou Forest. The trees there were very tall and narrow, so unlike any other forests, this one is considered as the narrowest and hardest to ever cross._

 

_Never mind having people intentionally going there, no one ever wants to. But this girl didn't seem as dedicated, nor did she have any thoughts of ever going in._

 

_She did, however, went in even without any prior knowledge of what's beyond. The only thing keeping her alive and sane were the thoughts of having her away from her family._

 

_She would've added the thought of killing herself. But she was sober enough to think clearly and avoid having to bear a sin on herself. So she steeled herself and went her way of life, just walking and keep on walking, nothing more._

 

_Except for breaks._

 

_Her meals were light, just vegetables on the side of the roads she crosses whenever she has the chance. But every once in a while, she would go hunt for wild boars and even deers._

 

_Using her Spirit Animal, of course._

 

_Her signature partner that was at least ten times her size, very fuzzy, colored white as snow with black spots here and there, on the eyes and ears most especially._

 

_It was a gigantic panda._

 

_Some would say they even hear the loud rumbling roar of the earth because of its strength when it comes to smashing down its fist onto the ground. Catching wild animals was not easy, but the speed and range of its fists were impeccable that even just a chop would leave a whole part of the forest jumbled up in a mess of broken trunks._

 

_Thanks to its efficiency, one would say that she has her salvation served in an unusual way, but it was considered a blessing nonetheless._

 

_Until she arrived at the center of the forest._

 

_Firmly, her feet was planted onto the same spot for roughly just a few minutes, but her eyes were starting to strain because of too much exposure to air without the action of blinking. Her pupils were staring intensely at what's in front of her that she hardly notices herself getting tired._

 

_Just up ahead was a huge fortress, a steel-based dome with an electrical fence circling it, imbued with magical energy that she can sense. It had the appearance of something similar to a helmet, but it didn't look nearly as curved on the middle. It was crescent like the moon, but iron-colored._

 

_Exactly two feet away from her was an electric-infused carpet of some sorts, red in color but with sparks flying along its trail. On its edges were small signals that seems to detect large amounts of energy, like what a seismograph would do._

 

_She did just theorize this as it had turned their signal heads directly at her, just as she was about to realize this predicament. But before her senses came back, a thick laser of white beamed at her, it did not hurt one bit but she felt strange. Like it was anesthetic._

 

_She did feel a bit conscious, but not enough to have her body reject the incoming hands that were lifting her up and carrying her inside the weird facility._

 

_During the range of three years, her age exactly twelve, she was becoming used to the feel of electricity and pain circulating in her body, the energy almost wasn't compatible with her body, and it came to a conclusion of having her muscles strained and limp._

 

_But her body was numb. For the duration of three years with her having to be connected to wires and crimps and machines, she was too weak to even move a single finger. Even opening her eyes was a challenge. Her senses were getting all jumbled up: sight blurry, smell nauseating, hearing was disabled and her taste..._

 

_Not that she can use them anymore. They didn't give her any food._

 

_But her body replenished with each surgical energy weaving through her veins like circuits. It was not a replacement for food, but it was better than nothing._

 

_It did benefit her, but it gave more to those who were there at her side. Calculations and tests were very fruitful with the addition of capturing a human being that is also inhabited by a soul of an animal._

 

_She gave out a low whimper at the syringe being injected on her lower thigh. The 1098th one, she recalled, having counted nearly all of the past injections she's had, except during the days where her anesthesia seemed to have lasted longer than expected._

 

_Tears where brimming on the edge of her eyes, but they weren't enough to actually drip down on her head, just glistening on her irises. Her pale lips quivered at the pain, albeit having been numb at the excruciating sting for so long. Her muscles were practically giving in to all of the vaccines, and her bones were nearly breaking due to the intensity of currents her body is going through, with the addition of the lack of nutrients her body should supplement for the whole year round._

 

_Everyday, the scientists, she had deducted, would check up on her progression: her blood circulation, senses, even her digestion they had considered. But they never really did have her eat. Just inject nutrients; insufficient, but will do._

 

_As far as the girl was concerned, which she never was for who knows how long, their work had affected her in so many ways that even she could never catch up to the number of changes she has had in such a long time. Her loss of movement has made her too rusty and muted that not even the worker's persistence would make her talk._

 

_She wouldn't, and even if she will, her lack of heart-to-heart chatters for a span of three years had managed to discourse her voice box, either she'll have to cackle nonsense into a conversation or just dismiss all of the words she'll reply with._

 

_Perhaps her experience with all of this experiments had made her become a natural straight faced human. Not entirely human, but half as much._

 

_Though this did change one day during the 1170th procedure, she recollected. One of the clients that the scientists had was in joy to have been invited in taking part of the examination of her anatomy. But as expected of a neophyte, his actions were very likely of an amateur, shaky hands and sweat going out of control._

 

_And during the seizure, his grip on the tweezers suddenly swayed unintentionally. And this sudden movement had placed a very berating damage._

 

_And of all the body parts which he could've jabbed, it had to be her weakest one: her heart._

 

_And because her Spirit Animal's soul was residing there, the immediate repercussion her body made was to let out her Spirit Animal, showing its large stature fully towards the personnels, even managing to damage the upper interior of the facility and causing a gaping hole to be made on the ceiling._

 

_The girl screamed intensely for the first time in approximately about eight years, what with the burning pain searing in her sensitive organ, the slight but hurtful touch of the cold apparatus sending waves and waves of torment coursing through her entire framework, tingling shivers to her bones and painful signals to her brain._

 

_In general, she was having a rampage due to the immense suffering and agony she is undergoing at that moment._

 

_Even the scientists were going through the same panic, but not because of the same pain, no. It was because of the damage that her Spirit Animal caused._

 

_A full blown shot on the roof of their laboratory._

 

_They were going crazy, running around in circles, yelling and agitating for reasons she doesn't want to know._

 

_The panda also seemed to have joined in the fiasco. It had roared, unlikely for an animal such as that, and it even jumped, sending tremors of high and low raging across the continent._

 

_It was devastating, but they had nothing at hand to even stop it._

 

_This continued for roughly an hour, and it even made a fissure appear just at the area outside the premises of the forest. Nearly half of the circumferential expansion collapsed due to the massive earthquake that the panda was causing._

 

_It didn't help that the laboratory where the girl was being held in was starting to fall apart, mostly from the missing debris on its upper exterior, but then again, none can be too sure._

 

_Making good use of this disaster as a distraction, a shadow leaped inside the estate, its brown cloak billowing in the wind. White gloves held onto the hems, insecurity apparent with how its grip was ranging from tight to loose depending on the situation._

 

_It had turned its head from left to right, looking out for people having to see its presence. With the coast clear, the figure snuck inside the room where the girl was being stilled. One gloved hand pulled onto the other, now completely bare of any cloth, then used that to pull on the metal rings that restricted the girl of any movement involving her hands and feet. And to anyone's surprise, the raw strength of the hand destroyed the hard iron handles like it was second nature on muscle capacity._

 

_Once the cuffs were successfully broken, the shadow carried the young child on its arms bridal style, not perplexed by the aggressive locomotion the girl is going through as a sign of pain coming from her heart._

 

_The mysterious silhouette brushed off the hair sticking on her sweaty forehead, then stuck out a hand in front of her, the palm glowing white and red in a preceding manner._

 

_And in an instant, the rampaging panda vanished into thin air._

 

_And it just so happened that the figure and the girl also faded right after._

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

_For days, the girl had nothing more to do than to gaze up at the brilliant night sky, eyes dim and dead that even the glow of millions of stars didn't reflect on her irises._

 

_It was about a week since someone had premeditated an escape on her captivity. Though she would've thanked, her numb and unmoving senses and emotion kept her from speaking._

 

_So there she laid, leaning on a wooden and sturdy tree, hands limp on her sides and eyes boring holes at a distance._

 

_On the opposing side of her, with a fire in between, was the presumed escapade initiator, who was currently reading a book of some sorts. Black disheveled hair, lighter than the girl's though, and teal blue eyes. He adorned an outfit which can be mistaken as something worn by aristocrats: light blue cloak with a strange wavy motif, white dress shirt tucked in brown pants and black boots._

 

_The girl had been eyeing the man since the day he had basically kidnapped her from her previous captors._

 

_Well, save for the hours she had slept through._

 

_And for some reason, whenever she would call upon her Spirit Animal, it won't respond. Normally it would've appeared in less than a second, but she was getting frustrated at the delay. Sometimes the panda would come out on its own accord, but this time it didn't. She sensed something was wrong, but she could hardly sense anything so her instincts didn't leave a mark on her thoughts._

 

_So she chose to stay quiet, hoping that this mysterious stranger would give her the answers she needed._

 

_Of course, so far, both of them did not exchange words. Except for when they ate. It was hard not to tell the girl to eat, so the man had no choice but to chant up a few discussions when it comes to proper diet and balanced meals._

 

_And it hardly made the girl listen. She was letting it past her other ear, after all. Not like she could stay focused, what with her small temper and patience._

 

_But tonight seemed to be something, it was more tensioned and unusual. The book that the man was reading seemingly glowed under the darkness of the night, and her mind was tingling in worry._

 

_And for the first time that night, the man spoke._

 

_"Do you trust me?"_

 

_The girl frowned. She did not expect that from him, but her aloofness prevented any surprise from showing on her face._

 

_She scoffed, her raspy voice growing weaker, "No...," was her straight answer, crossing her arms and looking away._

 

_The man closed the book, then stood up and walked towards her in a very serious manner._

 

_Due to her disinterested self, however, her stature did not shift one bit. Even when he stooped in front of her with an intimidating aura, she did not budge._

 

_He then smiled at her, and this seemed to have caught her attention, "Well then, if I say that I am the great Magician, will you believe me?", he asked without malice, but curiosity cannot be hidden._

 

_This made the girl frown even more, gaze now narrowed, "Where are you getting at?", she alluded out forwardly, getting straight to the point without any qualms._

 

_Her words did manage to produce a chuckle from the man, his face bereft of any tension, "How straightforward. I like that about a person," he gave her a warm expression, smile never leaving his face, "I was actually thinking about sealing this book inside you. Can you handle it?"_

 

_Her eyes widened at his suggestion, though her face did have its doubts, and most of it was alike, "What?", she snarled at him, one brow furrowed while the other was raised, a very confused look on her face._

 

_His proposition kept her on her guard, but with the serene look on the man's face, she could not keep up with her facade, so at some point, she let up quite a bit of constraint on her expression, which seems to have loosened him up even more._

 

_"Right! I'll take your countenance as a complying answer," he beamed, taking out the book which he had placed on the ground just a few moments ago. Then he placed it onto her head, not balancing it but just having it at close proximity on her frontal lobe, "Now then, this won't hurt a bit, but once this archive is inside your head, I want you to seal this up. It will create an after effect of being consumed by your soul as a treasure of some sorts. And don't you worry, it will be chained with a lock, and only you will be able to break its link."_

 

_Still having this expressionless face, the girl stared at the man with a narrowed gaze, but keeping the apathetic sight, "I'm not too sure about your intentions, but I don't think I'm the right person that you should give this obligation to," she waved off, going back to staring at the stars._

 

_The man just smiled even more and steadied the book on one hand and placed his other hand on top of the tome, "I know you are, which is why I'm offering you this opportunity," then he crouched down, his knees bent and standing on his forefeet, gazing at her with this tranquil look, "And when you do accept this, I will trust in you my wholeness. So... Will you do that for me?"_

 

_Her frown withdrew, and with it replaced by a thin line. Pressing her lips, she never shifted her gaze. Instead, opting to just leave her trail onto the night sky._

 

_She heard him, yes. But she chose to ignore it somewhat. Not completely, but unverified._

 

_"I dunno...," she whispered, but meant for him to hear her answer._

 

_He kept on smiling, then readied his hold on the book, closing his eyes in concentration, "Well then, please stay still for a moment," he requested, then a white glow appeared on his hand which was clutching onto the tome._

 

_Her senses, though null and almost unfelt, became drowsy for a second, but disappeared like a breeze. The white light emitted by his hand brushed through her soul like a feather. It kept her calm._

 

_Not like she's gonna go on a rampage at any moment in time._

 

_"Link thy holy self unto thy vessel. VASTILE!", he chanted, then promptly patted his other hand onto the girl's head, then the book turned into a black orb of magical entity. He picked it up and then placed it above her head, which was absorbed by her in no more than half a second._

 

_She felt nothing in particular, save for the strange sensation warming her heart from the inside. It was rather new to her so she was somewhat in awe._

 

_The man huffed out a heavy sigh and promptly brushed his hand onto his forehead, wiping off sweat coming down dangerously on his head, "Thank you for your cooperation. I deeply appreciate it," he acknowledged, then by a wave of his hand, a blue hat with the same pattern as his cloak appeared._

 

_"So... what now? And what the heck was that book anyway? I mean, must be important if you'd rather put it in my guts than carry it all over the continent but...," the girl drifted off on her words when she saw how the man had this sympathetic look on his face._

 

_He dusted off imaginary dirt on the hat before putting it on top of his head, having it face sideways rather than the front, "A lot of people want that book... And there's no one else which I can entrust that," he bent down on one knee, eye level with the young girl in front of him, "I know you have no intentions with putting your faith on me..."_

 

_He then took her hand in his own. She was unfazed, and if she was even flustered, her poker face never let it slide, "You're right. But it's not like I have a choice," she shrugged, not caring one bit, but an inkling of the word was there._

 

_He smiled, "You do know who I am at heart, yes?", when he saw her nod unenthusiastically, he stood up, then turned his back._

 

_Basically, he kept a distance between them. Then at some point, he stopped and faced her again, now with an approximate ten feet gap. He then raised his arms sideways, smiling, "Then you should know... I am a sinner," he stated with a knowing smirk on, albeit it did not change her face in any way other than neutral._

 

_"Probably... We're all sinners...," she dismissed easily, however his face stayed the same._

 

_"But unlike all of you, my wrongs cannot be forgiven. I have killed all of the animals just for my selfish benefits. You must fear me," he told her with a guilty conscience._

 

_And she had felt this, just a bit, but felt nonetheless, "Nah, count me off on one of them. Fear you? I'm scared of myself for crying out loud... I'm sick of feeling afraid, let alone be courageous enough to face my frights. But I don't want to be some fearless freak forever," she said in a straight manner._

 

_This made the man ease for a short amount of time, then composed himself, "Withal, I am no less than a monster in this world. Which is why I am being hunted as of this moment. And I humbly ask of you," he had his right hand clutch tightly on his chest, left hand taking off his hat and overlaying it on his fist, "Please... You have to kill me," he pleaded almost weakly, voice cracking at the near end._

 

_She noticed this, of course, but paid little to no attention to it, "I already told you, I don't do those kind of things. Besides," she held out her hand in front of her, "I can no longer summon my partner—my Spirit Animal," she gloomily added._

 

_Tears were about to be spilled on the edge of his eyes, but the sudden shift of mood had him sigh, "I suppose," then an idea popped in his head that made his spirit ecstatic. He went closer to her then pulled her hand, "I will give you a new partner!"_

 

_To say she was surprised was an understatement. This time, his idea seemed to have reached the heavens as she could not even search for it on the ground, "A new one? You sure? And... what about my old partner? What happened to him?", she protruded further, hoping for a bit of information._

 

_He stayed silent for a second, then shove one hand into his pocket, the other rubbing his cheek, "I did not do anything except activating its resting perimeters. Your Spirit Animal has been too tired to even act properly, which is why right now you are incapable of summoning him," he explained, then took out a small pocket watch from his pocket, "And what I'm about to do to you, involving giving you another partner, is give you a Cursed Insignia," he flipped open the watch on his grip, showing her a mark etched onto it._

 

_She frowned, "You're giving me a fucking curse?", she narrowed her eyes at him, doubting._

 

_Her anathema shook his smile off into a crooked one, but he had straightened off just as quick, "Not a literal curse. Just a mark to show that this power belongs to you," he bestowed upon her a red crest floating above his index finger._

 

_She eyed this curiously, but complied in the end, "Fine... hand it over."_

 

_He chuckled, then pointed the mark at her hand. The crest flew like a shooting star and landed onto the back of her palm like a stamp. It seared her skin, not like she felt it, and in a few moments, it was done._

 

_She looked at the mark on her hand. This weird feeling was spinning on her insides, she felt. A burning ball of flame, she thought, was growing in her heart, like it had a life of its own and is starting to mature at an alarming rate._

 

_The man then tipped his hat to her and placed it back on his head, grinning, "Thank you for everything that you have done for this poor entity. I will be forever in your debt," he gleamed happily, but slightly shown on his expression. Then he turned his heels around and pocketed both of his hands._

 

_The girl thought of his actions as sudden and mysterious. But as soon as she got a strange sensation in her gut, she gulped, "They're close...," she whispered._

 

_The man nodded, and with it, he side glanced at her, "This is your chance. Run," he commanded, eyes shadowed by his bangs._

 

_She was about to answer another no, of course, if it wasn't for the feeling on her feet that seemed like a stampede was heading their way._

 

_Which it was._

 

_And the only thing she did was sigh._

 

_But before she left, she clutched her mark-etched hand onto her chest, and a mysterious energy was unleashed on her back, red aura forming a small figure._

 

_And within a second, a black wolf cub appeared. It's eyes were red, much like the girl's beaming bloody ones, and fangs elongated. Tail pointed up and spiky, with red streaks forming at its sides._

 

_The girl held up the small animal, then faced it towards the man, "I'll take good care of my new partner, under the condition that you'll pick him up when the time comes," she dangerously growled, with the wolf following in suit._

 

_The man could only giggle, one last time, then faced her with a joyous expression, "I will... Magician's word," he said before turning his head to face what was in front of him._

 

_He did not glance back at the retreating figure of the young girl he had bonded with in just a week. And it gave him the feeling of contentment, "I give you my utmost respect, Nico," he whispered into the billowing wind rushing past him like a storm._

 

_And before the girl knew it, a huge explosion blew up most of the area which she had previously been to._

 

_Still, her face hardened and never returned a glance._

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

Everything went back to what it was.

 

And just for a split second, Nico had this brilliant idea lit up on her head.

 

All thanks to her one-week friend.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that’s a wrap! Next week I’ll proceed with the present events. Just a thought to have Nico be motivated. 
> 
> See you next week~


	10. Episode 9: Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Remembering the past had Nico realize the strength within her which she had never discovered before. Question is, can this help her win against the Government? And what is Maki’s view of her exactly?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So tired~ The projects keep piling up and I rather not have any of them stack. So uh... unlike the previous chapter, this doesn’t even compare. So... please bear with me yet again. So sorry for the convience.
> 
> Here it is, the second part of chapter 9. Enjoy~

"So what now, Lone Savage? Shocked at the revelation? It is true, I'm afraid. That pathetic man was nothing more than a naive and weak ephemeral. I'd say that even the lowest of the low can take him on," the old woman from the Government boasted, even insulting the so-called Magician was a joy to her.

But to Nico and the others, they thought otherwise.

The black haired girl, after all those flashbacks from her childhood, smirked, "Oh yeah? Guess what," she dried her tears using the back of her left hand, her right clutching onto her chest, "That old geezer taught me—well, he didn't teach me anything, more like gave me power," She let go of her shirt, and following her withdrawing hand was a red flame burning crimson, gold and the flaring sun, "In fact, he gave me an entire archive full of tricks!"

A black mist appeared behind her, slowly swirling itself into a hurricane just of the same height as she was. Her gaze never left the flame, but on the back of her mind, she was proud of what she had rediscovered for herself, "And I really hate to break it to you, but it looks like your work here is as good as done!"

The dark whirlwind vanished, and in its place stood her Spirit Animal, standing as proud and mighty as ever. Fur spiked on its back, red streaks adorned its sides, paw and eyes. Fangs sharp and elongated about as long as an elephant's tusk. Tail an alternating touch of red and black, with little white glowing spheres floating along its perimeter.

The old woman smirked, "Just because you have your Spirit Animal with you doesn't mean that you possess more powerful prowess than me," she held out her staff and pointed it towards the black-haired girl, a blue burst of energy shooting out from the tip.

Nico did not dodge. Instead, she had merely maneuvered her hand and swayed it to the side, a small breeze changing the direction of the beam. It caused considerable damage to the wall of the hospital, but none of them was harmed.

The Government official clicked her tongue in annoyance, raising her wand in the air, "Well then, try this!", the rounded edge of her weapon glowed green, a snake-like figure appearing inside the orb and then slithered down onto the handle until it rested upon the outstretched arm of the woman.

She lowered her bicep and gazed at the wolf, "Who shall win this game, my viper or your wolf?", she stated, then commanded her magic-generated animal to attack.

The ebony-haired girl frowned, she had wanted her partner to get rid of that serpent, but a movement at the edge of her sight made her stop and wait. So instead of going in for a kick, she firmly stood in place, arms crossed, "My partner can't be defeated by a boneless seaweed! In fact, I'd rather have someone else do it."

The woman's eyes widened when she heard a sudden rush of wind pass her, and in a blink of an eye, her snake was destroyed by a claw slashed by Nozomi's second Spirit Animal.

The purple-haired girl landed on her feet, so did her partner. She then gave a pat onto the slightly younger girl's shoulder, "Well said. It's a good thing that you're wise enough to show teamwork when it comes down to it," she confessed, though with the hint of teasing.

And Nico just brushed off the playfulness of her words, getting straight to the point, "Look, I want you to buy me some time. Think you can do that?"

"Sure. Only if you'll beat her with this one shot," Nozomi dared, her challenging stare reciprocated by Nico's own.

"You're on, boob face!", the twin-tailed girl accepted, then took a stance. She lifted her right hand and placed it on her forehead as a fist, her other arm on the side, bent and knuckled. Her Spirit Animal stood on its four paws, raising its tail for show. The little orbs of light swirled along the empennage of the wolf, then rising until they formed a line above its peak. The red streaks strolled until it all went up and merged on the spire. 

Forming on her fist above her eyes was a blinding golden-crimson flame about as big as her hand. White flashes outlined its edges, making it look tame and harmless enough to not ignite. But the magma-like substance in the middle looked as dangerous as a real scoria. 

Acting in sync with her, the wolf had the white wisps synthesize and form a white fire, not as fiery as Nico's but just as bright. Even brighter, to be exact.

When Nozomi saw this development, she knew that the girl would keep her challenge up. The essence of her magic was growing, she sensed. Though she never knew the reason why she possesses such powers, she'd rather have her explain it in a different time. 

At least, just not today.

"Now then, what sort of distraction shall I give you?", she contemplated loudly, purposely having the personnel hear her words.

The snickering sound said it all, "That is, if you can!", the old woman leaped back, holding her wand out and directed it towards the purple-haired teen, "Take this!", a lightning bolt struck out from the orb on top of her weapon, heading straight towards Nozomi.

But she hardly showed any care.

She switched partners with a smoke bomb created by her raccoon partner. It appeared while clutching onto a log of the same height as it was. A leaf was on its mouth, presumably to act tough.

"I call this move, Ninja Technique: The Art of Stealth Evasion!", Nozomi exclaimed, clasping her hands on her chest like what ninjas would do. The index and middle finger of both her hands stood while the rest, save for her thumbs, relaxed.

Then, a small green magic circle appeared on top of her fingers, and she disappeared with a huge puff of smoke left on her previous spot.

"What—?!", the woman was shocked, however, when she saw her move strike onto nothing but a bunch of leftover fog. When the lightning struck, the thin clouds scattered, and a dent was left on the floor, black and burnt.

And before she could react, the purple-haired girl appeared behind her, stance still the same, just on midair.

"Ninja Technique Secret Arts: Nine Seals!", Nozomi took out her white gun and, for unknown reasons, turned it into a knife. She slashed the woman in front of her. Then again. And again. And with each strike, a seal appeared above her, having different colors from red to violet, with the addition of gray, black, and white.

The woman screamed in pain at each cut Nozomi had donned on her body, even her clothing was ripped. With each strike, her grip on her staff loosened. And when the last attack hit her, she completely let go of her weapon, the iron rod clinking as it fell onto the tiled surface.

Once the Nine Seals move was over, Nozomi and her partner leaped a few good meters away from the woman. She was now at close proximity with Maki and her friend.

And during the time she was with those two, she had this strange feeling going on. The same one she had when she was with Honoka and Umi. This interested her, no doubt. And she really wanted to test out her assumption.

But maybe she didn't really have to wait long.

"Can you help me?", she asked them, mouth forming a somewhat pleading but with the hint of teasing smile. 

This did not ease them up, but Maki was quick to recover, "What do you mean help?", she questioned, eyes narrowing in utter confusion and curiosity.

The blonde girl just gazed at Nozomi like a statue, and if Nozomi could read her mind, she would've probably exploded into a piping red mess.

If she could know, she would.

The purple-haired girl did not tell her a very specific answer, just a vague one, "It's for your own good!", was her cheerful reply, eyes closed in what seems to be bliss. And it never occurred to the two how such a woman was powerful enough to beat an official member of the Government, yet mysterious and utterly irritating at the same time. Her joyous face got on their nerves.

Well, just Maki's. Can't say the same for the blonde, since she's got this weird and unreadable expression on her face as she kept on gazing at Nozomi.

The redhead just sighed and complied, not happily of course, "What do you want us to do?", she asked whilst twirling her hair absentmindedly, a very old and irreplaceable habit she has.

Nozomi glanced back at the woman, who was still recovering from the blows she just had from the purple head's attack, "Say~..."

 

 

"Cursed brat...! Think she can outsmart me with that trick? Think again!", the personnel stood up, then glanced sideways to look for her weapon. She spotted it just by the corner, where a raven-haired girl was concentrating on her magic.

She smirked, "If I can capture her, she'll be our greatest weapon yet! Even the boss can't resist her power. And I'll finally get a promotion!", she cackled, running towards Nico at a speed not faster than anyone who is riding on a bicycle.

Nico noticed her presence heading her way. But she couldn't leave her progress. It was almost done, and all of Nozomi's efforts to distract her would've been in vain if she moved now.

But maybe she won’t have to.

She sensed another presence making a beeline on her wake. It was not something that she was familiar with like Nozomi's aura or any of the others. The only thing she could feel somehow mundane on this one was the feeling of irritation and anger.

And if she were to be asked, she would've had the same answer on who was this newcomer.

Well, more like a company who just changed into something stronger.

The woman eyed the four-legged creature in front of her, a leopard with the lightest shade of red and crimson, black polygonal spots all over on its body, yellow shades on its paws, tail and snout, and gleaming purple eyes.

She clicked her tongue, "You...!"

The leopard growled, and its owner scrunched up her eyes and brows, frustrated by the situation and irritated at the same time, "It's not like I want to help. But this hospital belongs to me and I don't want anything to happen to it. I mean, I don't want any more further damage, that is," the redhead admitted with less sincerity and more on pride as she twirled her flawless locks with a pinkish hue on her cheeks.

"Well then, it seems that an additional victim is on set. Hah! I'd be glad to entertain you! You are after all one of my targets in the first place!", the Government official zoomed past Maki and aimed for her rod. When she finally caught it in her hands, she redirected its mark onto Nico, "But before that, let me take one of you out!"

A blue beam of light shot its way across the room, line of sight directed towards Nico.

It did not hit her though, since a paw slashed the beam like it was mist, fast and easy. Maki had her hand outstretched, a signal for her partner to stop her, "I won't let you lay a finger on her," she stated, her tone serious.

But her solemn face broke when she heard a snicker from the other side of the area, "Just earlier, you would give anything and everything just to kill her. Now, you're willing to protect her from the Government, even though you have ties with them! How sweet~", Nozomi teased, a wide grin plastered on her face, which irritated Maki even more, and a loud "Shut up!" was heard from her.

"Che...! I can't waste any more time here! I'll just have to bring all of you down with me!", exclaimed the old woman, staff raised in the air. It glowed black and white spontaneously, and without any warning, it exploded into bits of magical energy.

Nozomi saw one of them spike into the wall. And what she saw made her eyes widen in surprise.

The part of the wall hit by the small spherical energy melted, slowly and dangerously. The solid concrete broke off into liquified blocks of cement, white paint infused into the mixture.

However, before the woman could give her last laugh victoriously, a fist incorporated with burning golden flames broke through her body, on her chest straight through the other side, bones and flesh breaking off. Falling off on her back was a beating heart, rapidly thumping.

The personnel stopped, slowly and difficulty turning her head sideways to face up front. And she saw the black-haired girl smirking widely, her knuckles wrapped around her body.

"H... K... H-How...," she couldn't even mutter another word as her body slumped onto the floor, Nico's fist slipping out of her chest with ease. Blood pooled from underneath her lifeless body, eyes half closed and mouth open, letting blood flow out freely like a river.

Though she did manage to kill her, the magical energy balls kept on being released and was spreading like rain.

One was headed towards Maki. And she couldn't possibly have her Spirit Animal touch one of those, "It could damage her...", she thought, worried for her partner.

"Watch out!", she did not need to evade because a stream of golden blaze protected her from the incoming missiles of acid.

Nico managed to sway her burning hand onto the side, successfully scorching off the magical liquid drops with minimum difficulty. She turned back and looked at Maki with sincere vexation towards her, "Are you okay?", she asked, eyes full of concern, something that the redhead never expected from someone like her.

She was speechless at first, but then realized that she was starting to stare at those worried crimson orbs for longer than expected and coughed on her hand, glancing away from her whilst doing her trademark twirling of her hair, "I-I'm fine. Y-You didn't have to protect me, you know. I can take care of myself," she admitted timidly and dishonestly.

But Nico didn't believe her one bit, "You couldn't take out those things or you'll be damned with losing at least one part of you body, same for your partner," she said in a matter of factly manner, earning scrutinized eyes from her fellow talker.

"I-I can manage!... Somehow...", she added, though the last part was getting more and more along the side of being a whisper than an utter.

Nico would've jabbed with another retort if not for her sight catching some of those magic orbs of acid getting out of the room and melting wall continuously like an endless beam. She grabbed the redhead's arm and hauled her out of the room, "Less talking, more protecting! Come on!", she yelled, running out of the area with Maki in tow, the redhead not fairing with joy but annoyance and irritation.

But she let the shorter girl pull her anyway.

And the only people left, if the dead body of the old woman was not counted, were Nozomi and the blonde girl she was currently with. None of them said a word, but the purple-haired teen did crouch down and had her back towards the blonde.

"Come. I'll give you a lift," Nozomi gestured her hands in a manner that looked like she was ready to carry her.

The blonde seemed flustered, and she didn't utter any words of acceptance, nor gestured that she would comply. She simply looked at her back with this shy but scared look.

Nozomi frowned, then sighed, "Guess it can't be help," she muttered, then from out of nowhere, she suddenly lifted the blonde up from her bed, carrying her on her arms with less ease than expected. But her face never showed any difficulty.

A yelp escaped from the girl on her arms, hands wrapping themselves onto Nozomi's neck in fright. And when she heard a chuckle escape from the purple head's lips, she somewhat eased and her tension dissipated.

Nozomi looked at her amusingly, mouth forming a smile, "My my~ I didn't know you liked having me carry you like this! You'd rather be carried bridal style than piggybacked?", she teased, making the blonde blush intensely.

"M-Mou... stop that," the blonde playfully punched her on the shoulder, which made Nozomi giggle in response. But the blonde didn't stop on that, as she glanced up to Nozomi with a serious face, "Can I ask you a question?"

"Ask away~", was Nozomi's reply, tease and humor evident.

The blonde stayed quiet for a few good seconds, then steeled her face and gazed up at Nozomi, "Are you... the one from—"

"The Garden of Glass?", the purple-haired girl cut her off, making her glance up with wide eyes. Nozomi smiled softly, then slowly planted a kiss on the blonde's forehead, "It seems so. Did you miss me, Elicchi?"

The soft tone of her voice made the blonde blush as red as roses, tears started to form on the edge of her eyes, mouth whimpering, "N... Nozomi...!", she called out, voice a little raspy as her tears finally went down to the side of her face, trickling onto smooth skin and dripping on the sleeves of Nozomi's jacket.

Her reaction had the mauve-haired girl put up a smile of her own, a bit crooked too somehow, tears are also starting to draw up on her eyes, "Elicchi... I missed you... too much...!", she croaked on the last words but she never paid any attention to that.

What's important was the woman in front of her. And the blonde couldn't have agreed more.

"I missed you too... Nozomi," whispered the blonde, Eli, to her special someone who was carrying her with gentle care. And she couldn't have wanted to be anywhere else in the world more than in the arms of her special someone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahahahahahaha, I really honestly wanted the NicoMaki pairing to develop the slowest! And yet! They have this chemistry going ahead of them! And NozoEli is a thing already! Not even I could’ve thought that this would happen, but since I already put it there, there’s no use taking it out, yeah? But still... What the heck?! 
> 
> So with a lot of thought, I suppose I can have KotoUmi be the one going through a slow burn this time.
> 
> See you all next week~


	11. Episode 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ever wonder what’s going on with Honoka and the others? Well, since Nozomi and co just finished their work, let’s proceed to Umi’s point of view.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hai hai Hai! Major headache and a short chapter. As expected from me! Hahaha, who knew? 
> 
> Well, can’t help it, I guess. Either make it till you break or just stick to it. I pick the latter, which is more convenient.
> 
> Anyways, here’s chapter 10!

Umi was in deep thought, with Honoka being all bubbly and giddy, contented with just drawing imaginary doodles on the walls of the hospital. The blue-haired teen chose to just let her be, she has been with her for a long time to know that even she won't understand the ginger-haired girl's logic.

But she did think about what happened earlier.

It seemed so surreal for her, that the people she was with had these strange Animal companions of some sort. Even her childhood friend had one! And that gave her a lot of unanswered questions building up on her mind.

Not just that, something has been bugging her for the longest of time.

Her sensitive hearing.

Frankly, she could say that most people would have perfectly good hearing if they concentrated enough, some are sensitive that even a voice from a few meters away would be heard, but none of her case.

She can hear movements around her like she had this super susceptible ears that can detect simultaneous noise and differentiate them all at once without any mixups. At first though, she just concluded that this was some sort of an irregularity, which technically it was. 

But for the past hours, she's been having doubts. And having seen Honoka unleash a Spirit Animal made her curiosity even worse.

'Could I possibly have a Spirit Animal as well?', she deducted on her head, brows furrowing and arms crossed. If by chance she did have one, it would make things more complicated. She just had this revelation about the monstrous bear-for-a-partner that her childhood friend seems to have, and another one that's with her can't seem to register on her head.

At some point though, she did hear the rustling of the wind on the corridor down the hallway where Honoka presumably said that Nozomi and Nico both went to. And not originally just any normal breeze, these were fast, like razors cutting through air.

And it gave her a few shivers.

"Honoka, I think we should go," she tapped the ginger head on the shoulder, getting her attention.

Honoka stopped humming a tune, then looked ay Umi with a confused stare, "Eh? Why?", she asked, blinking like someone who was born just now without any knowledge of the world she lives in.

"Just... an instinct...," Umi then proceeded to tuck her left arm underneath Kotori's neck and the other under her knees, about to carry her.

But she immediately withdrew her hands back, then shifted her body so that she was facing sideways, just as a black and white orb flew directly at her previous wake. 

She let out a sigh, relieved that she had managed to dodge something heading their way. But then gasped at the wall in front of her.

It melted.

Not just that, she saw the other walls on the other side of the corridor being torn through by the mysterious ball of magic. It was like an indestructible force tearing through the cement like it was just a piece of paper. 

This made Umi cringe in fear. Not just because of what she saw just now, but also because of what she was hearing after.

"There's more...," she whispered, wary of their situation. And when she glanced back, her eyes went wide.

A horde of magic spheres the same as the one Umi had seen were shooting through the hallway like rockets, zooming straight for them in the speed of light.

Honoka got frightened at this, but then she saw a table at the near end of their corner. She went up and picked it up, then placed it in front of them like a shield, "Get down!", she yelled.

However, the bluenette saw this and she panicked, "Watch out! Honoka!", she screamed, hoping to reach out to her friend, whom was clueless about what those attacking orbs could do. So the only thing she could do is run.

But running was not the correct term. It was 'leaping' and 'skipping' a step, managing to grab Honoka's shirt and drove her away from the direction of the magical pellets at an unnatural distance away.

"Whoa!", Honoka awed, surprised by Umi's sudden ability to leap once and covered at least ten times the normal rate. Sure she was athletic, and very good with handling a bow and strings, but even she couldn't imagine how her lower muscles featured a lot of strength in them.

Umi herself couldn't think about any other reason for this except with the idea of having a Spirit Animal. Such occurrences can only be scientifically proven as nothing short of a miracle, but in her case, it could've been.

And if by chance that she did have an animal soul implanted in her body, then she'd like to freak out more and stay under a coma for a week. But considering the situation, she couldn't be more relieved.

Umi bit her lower lip in thought; she mostly situated the ups and downs of having a partner, but also with their current standings. If by chance that the magical balls will come for them...

"Then I'll just have to dodge all of them," the bluenette declared ever so confidently, jumping on one foot and evaded another attack from hitting them, their last spot melting almost immediately.

Umi landed on both feet paces from their past standing, still carrying Honoka by her shirt, which was kind of easy for her, if she wasn't being choked on the collar. So Umi let go of her, air being sucked into the nose of the suffocated orange head, "Uwaah! Finally, air!", she huffed, kneelig on the floor with her hands down, head hung low and back arching up and down as she breathes. 

The longer-haired girl just looked at her with little to no pity and more on guilt, but she couldn't help it. At that time, she was rather thankful that she had managed to grab even just a fistful of anything regarding attachments to her childhood friend, clothes included. The only thing that could've had her even more dragged down to despair was if she was already too late.

But she was smart enough not to think of negatives for long periods.

So she carefully calculated all of the arriving liquid balls heading straight for them, glancing for anything she can use to shield them from it or even make them all disappear if she could, but if the walls weren't sturdy enough for most objects to protect them, then searching for hardly anything was pointless.

Disregarding their current position, they also have to worry about Kotori, Hanayo and her friend, which was lying limply on the floor, tired and asleep. The ashen-haired girl however was drenched in sweat and tears as the wound on her back kept on flowing and gushing with blood, seemingly determined to never halt unless treated and covered.

'Think, Umi! What's the best way to avoid getting hit by those things and also have them ignore the others?', the blue-haired girl bit her thumb in frustration just by thinking.

And once an idea struck, a very new and highly impossible idea, she had made up her mind.

"Honoka, I need you to carry those three, and be careful when straddling Kotori as to not strain her wounds," she commanded, pointing towards the other unconscious three, with Honoka not really getting any of them.

"Uhm... so I just have to carry all of them?", she obviously replied to the older girl, who nodded and glared at her impatiently, making her scramble from her place and started to shove Hanayo and her friend onto her shoulders, then carrying Kotori on her arms, wary not to touch her back.

Umi heaved out a sigh, having to have been lifted off some of her worries from the back of her mind, head now refreshed, "Alright, here goes nothing. This is something that only Honoka can probably do, but I'll still try," she muttered to herself, arms crossed in front of her, by her chest.

Then, a small blue glowing circle appeared in between her intersected wrists, chains flowing out of them. A dark blue magic circle formed underneath her feet, turning counterclockwise at a slow pace, shining and releasing chains as they skyrocketed above, attaching themselves onto the ceiling, completely trapping Umi on the inside.

Another ball of energy headed straight for her, but she never batted an eye. Instead, she disappeared, the magical bombs shot past through the chains like they were invisible. 

Umi reappeared at the ceiling, standing upside down and tall as her feet were planted firmly on the cemented upper floor. She then jumped off and stood back down on the tiled floor, headed towards the chains which she made just moments ago, clutched them onto her hands and just like that, they broke like glass.

However, the metal links lumped and attached themselves onto each other, forming a big ball of blue chains with strange markings crawling onto its surface. And with a last glow, it bursted and turned into dust of blue stars, glimmering down and mixing with the air.

And in its stead was a small white and furry rabbit, ears perked up and eyes the shade of the underwater ocean floor. Blue marks were shown on its back, and waves of light blue stroked themselves on its paws and hind feet.

Unlike normal rabbits, its tail was wavy and like that of a dog, furry and white as snow, hugging onto its body like it was coat. Spiking with ferocity, streaks of cerulean adorned it, shading the creamy ivory with hints of the dark sky. 

Umi huffed out frustrated sighs in fatigue. Just the action of having herself summon a Spirit Animal was more draining than she had actually thought, frightfully more so. But she was contented nonetheless.

"Okay... uhm...," she got down on one knee, eyeing the rabbit with much less confidence, "Think you can help me with this?"

The small animal looked at her funny, but it did wag its long tail and swished it from left to right, then hopped itself onto the bluenette's shoulder like it was second nature.

Umi was thankful though, at least her partner was the cooperative type. 

And so she steeled herself, took in a heavy breath and sighed it all out, "Okay... Let's do this!", she declared, movement more relatable to that of a rabbit's, not surprising with the revelation just now.

She continued to dodge all of the incoming magic bombs, easy if from another person's perspective, but from the look on her face, Umi was having a time of her life with just evading balls. 

But one thing was for sure. For the whole duration of this predicament, she had never left her eyes off of Kotori, not even for a second or even just to blink. She didn't know if it was out of worry or it's because her wound was more serious than the rest, but she wanted to know what made her a sole focus on her concentration.

But that was something that she could do later.

A few more were left, she examined. Somehow, she had evaded approximately a hundred of those things, fatigue getting into her, but she still continued to hop. The rabbit on her shoulder was sitting cross legged, even its paws were crossed, eyes closed. A small blue metal chain was wrapped around its wrist, connected directly at Umi's right hand, entwined with her fingers. It glowed of silver and indigo, a lighter shade, trickling down onto the girl's fingers, which possessed magic circles above the chains. 

This was unlike what Umi had observed from the other Spirit Animal proprietors. She had not seen such a fascinating reaction from her partner, contrasting from what she had perceived during earlier's events. None of them possessed a chain, no links could be found when they appeared.

And yet, even without the tie, she still somehow felt that their bond was pure and strong. Thicker than blood, like what families would have. 

Even so, she was not going to back down. The difference may be a drawback, but for her, it was something unique.

"Let's finish this!", Umi placed her right hand onto her left, which formed a fist. A magic circle appeared above the back of her palm, continuously spinning around. Just below her open grip was a white arrow, pointing straight forward, where a bunch of energy balls kept on coming towards them.

Wasting no time, the bluenette grabbed hold of the object, then swung it back as far as she could muster, and with a cry, flung the pointed weapon straight ahead, "Go! Divine Arrow!"

The weapon of light swirled along the way, absorbing energy around it. It had not hit the specific targets, more like it had rushed past through by the center of the hallway, just a passerby in a sense.

But the incoming pulse of energy being pulled by the arrow was what had broken the crystallized power, shattering it at its finest, spreading its contents everywhere: the walls, floor, even just at their shoes.

Or, Honoka's.

"Hey!", the orange-haired girl shook off her footwear, which was someone being attached by one of the magical particles of the dangerous substance. Though it was persistent, somehow that gave her the annoyance to muster up the strength to call her partner.

The bear from earlier did show up behind her, clearly feeling the same way as its partner, what with how its face scrunched up and snout snarling at the liquified energy. 

It sniffed the blackish white power, then turning away in disgust. It raised its paw and in one quick sweep, clobbered Honoka's shoe entirely, the footwear flung straight through to the other side of the wall, which had a gaping hole because of the impact from the shoe.

The orange head paled at the predicament, hands on her cheeks, "My shoe!!!", she screamed, face contorted and chagrined, mouth twitching weirdly.

The bear just shrugged off its shoulders at her, and although she was greatly bothered by it, she paid no mind to it; and even if she did, just at the very least.

"Urk... it's okay... I'll just order another pair... and apologize to Tsubasa...," she sulked, remembering the glow on her face when Tsubasa handed her those specific pair of shoes, how the shine on those emerald orbs seem to have affected the blue-eyed girl too much. It was just fantastic.

And quite irking if she could be honest with the current situation.

Umi noticed the appearance of the massive animal at her childhood friend's side and went closer to her, checking for injuries, "Were you not injured, Honoka?", she asked.

Honoka shook her head, but a pout was there on her face, tears threatening to fall, "No... but my shoe was!", she yelled, pointing at the wall where her missing shoe flew off to.

The bluenette sweat dropped at her overreaction, but she couldn't blame her. Shoes weren't really quite affordable at the moment.

Besides, those were given by someone special to her. It must've been very devastating, she thought.

"What about Kotori?", Umi forwarded, and had this kind of panicked look when Honoka just tilted her head to the side, "You... did carry her... right?"

"W-Well, I did... uhm... but I left her—err, them, over there...", Honoka gulped, feeling even more pressure on Umi as she pointed at the direction where she had dropped Kotori and the other two off. It was at the corner not very far from them.

But a drop of that melting substance was threatening to fall down on them.

And the bluenette wasted no time, not even to scold poor Honoka off her feet. She dashed madly towards them, hopping her way as fast as she could.

"Kotori—!", before her was a sight to never imagine. She could see clear as day that even when she outstretches her arm, she wouldn't be able to reach her in time. 

But she did it anyway. And just hoped for the best.

Her best wasn't enough though. But she suppose her hope was returned.

Golden flames sunk the liquid down and turned it to steam in seconds, its flare getting stronger by the second. This surprised Umi, as the burning fire grew brighter in the exact color of a golden sun. 

Then she saw black hair along with the flames, twin tails swishing at the swaying movement that the girl made.

Nico was in front of her, and she couldn't have been more grateful at anyone who saved the life of someone important to her. Who knows what she could've done if she saw Kotori getting pained even further in front of her.

Another thing which surprised her was the raven head's company. And it was someone she had least expected.

"Maki...?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha! Finally, Umi has a Spirit Animal. Although it’s a fluffy bunny, who knows. Maybe it can beat Nico’s wolf. Hahaha!
> 
> Major spoiler, Maki knows Umi and vice versa. Another one, Eli knows Umi as well. Hmm~ Interesting! Hahaha!
> 
> Okay then, till next time! Mata ne~


	12. Episode 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A chapter based on Nico and Maki’s side as they made their way towards Honoka and the others. What’s on their mind and what happened along the way?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, first of all, I am very sorry for going through two weeks without any updates. I was sick and barely able to go out of bed, kept on puking and my LBM kept on coming back. I don’t know how to back those up but I have never felt better!
> 
> And just the other day, I puked again, even though I was in the council.
> 
> Kind of hard to go through that, but I made it.
> 
> Anyways, as repentance for my short hiatus, I am uploading two chapters. They are a bit short though, but still enjoyable, on my standards.
> 
> Thanks for all of your patience! Enjoy this chapter~

The redhead groaned while being dragged away down the halls by the so-called Lone Savage, or the little devil for short. She is quite short, she supposed, but that's beside the point.

It kind of occurred to Maki that all those stories about this girl seemed to have been paradoxical to what she is seeing for herself. Her parents told her that she was heartless. A killer with pure intentions of murder, sole purpose was to destroy, the very embodiment of evil.

But right now, all she knew about her was that she had just saved her and her friend, helped to defeat those she thought were her allies but in actuality her enemies, willing to risk her life for others. And her passion...

Passion was in her eyes. And Maki couldn't differ those emotions on the black-haired girl's ruby orbs. It reminded her of herself when she was passionate about music. About learning how to write songs, playing her piano at her vacation house, competing on musical contests. What she had at those moments, she saw during the earlier events.

It felt like she was somehow a mirror image of the redhead, in terms of determination and stubbornness. She couldn't judge much of her, but maybe in the future she could. 

And having her being personally hauled by the shorter girl gave her the impression of the ebony head being anything but a monster. An apathetic monster.

"Uhm...," Maki started, not knowing what to say and how to interpret her thoughts into words, mind completely blank and devoid of its previous notions. 

A hum was heard from the other girl, the reply of Nico to Maki. And no more came afterwards.

This somewhat disturbed the redhead, though she just gave it a light shrug and continued, "Where exactly are we going?", she asked, but all the while looking away, not noticing the strange glances that the other girl was giving her.

"Back to the others. Honestly, I don't even know their names! But it's still my responsibility to go back and pick them up and put their backs on the beds that you stock here, at the very least they'll be useful while we're around," was Nico's straight and quick answer, fastening their paces at least double the exerted energy than before.

A huff came out from the redhead's mouth. If she knew that the girl in front of her was this loquacious, she wouldn't have tried to initiate a conversation. If anything, she almost thought of it as a hassle.

But in the end, she came to just cope with it, "Just what happened to you guys anyway? You look like you've been attacked by a strong typhoon on the way," she blurted out whilst doing her usual habit; twirling her red locks between her fingers.

A grunt was heard from her puller, eyes narrowed as Nico trudged forward with grumpy steps, "I really don't wanna talk about it, but just to make it short, one of those Government grunts attacked us. The hardest thing?", a low grumble came from her stomach, which she clutched with her free arm in resistance, "We never managed to eat breakfast! And I'm really hungry right now. I could probably eat that lady if she didn't look so unappetizing," Nico waved off, but the frown on her face said otherwise.

"Heh~...," Maki then glanced at the hand gripping onto her wrist. For the record, this was the first time that someone has ever held her hand, except her parents of course. And right now, a pale hand was holding her own tightly, like a strong grip that couldn't let go of its precious—

The redhead blushed a bit, 'Precious?! Why would I...,' she drifted off, feeling the heat coming off on her face, steam escaping from her ears. She had never thought of herself as precious, so why would she state that the black-haired girl thought of her as anything more valuable than gold?

This kept her into fantasy world for a while, not really minding where she was walking or heading to. And in front of her was a long waiting chair, which was narrowing the space of turning towards the sharp curve. 

So when Nico sidestepped to the corridor angle on their left, the redhead missed the point of avoiding to hit the wall that sharply depicted a turn.

A firm grip on her hand caused her to slightly move away from getting knocked over by the wall. The pull had her a bit out of balanced, but the soft cushion of a strong arm kept her from any movement.

Maki stayed still at her current position, leaning against Nico's burning arm, mysteriously not harmed by the flames touching her back. Somehow she had remembered clearly how those bursting golden flames crushed through the woman's ribs like they were sponge, bones and flesh gushing out of her body. So why weren't they—

"Watch out, princess. Wouldn't want you to ban us right before we could check up on our injuries just because you got a bump on your head," the petite girl commented, straightened Maki before moving on to dragging her to whichever way she was going to go prior to their positions beforehand.

Along the way, Maki was blushing like mad. And if that wasn't enough reason for her to be embarrassed, then the long contact of their hands were another thing to be bashful of. 'Why is she being nice?! I thought...,' she never thought, she believed that the girl was evil, but her actions were as clear as day, and they never had mean intentions.

And if they did, she would've been killed already.

"Uh... thanks," she awkwardly replied, not really sincere but at the same time, not insincere. She was just being her usual in denial self, totally normal to be honest but not purely intentional.

Nico hummed yet again as a response, "Don't sweat it. Just one of those things that happen most of the time, good thing I was there!", the slight rebuff, slight boastful answer was a bit deceiving, for the redhead. But she chose to ignore that.

Instead though, she focused on another topic.

"Why was I not burnt? By your fire, I mean...," Maki questioned, still kept on with her trademark manner, looking to the side and not wanting to have eye contact with her conversationalist.

Another hum was what she received, and Maki took a mental note to pry the other girl about her nonsensical retorts, "Honestly, I dunno," Nico shrugged her shoulders in pure honesty and ignorance, frowning, but not too much, "But I bet it has something to do with my intentions."

Maki blinked, "Intentions?", she absentmindedly muttered, not realizing that she had said it out loud.

She felt the black-haired girl nod, "Earlier, I kept on thinking that I wanted to harm that woman. I wanted to pay her back for insulting one of the only people whom had even dared to step foot in my comfort zone and chose to respect who I was," Nico's expression softened at the thought of the Magician, thinking back about their failure of a meeting about five years ago, "But when you were about o smash your face on that wall, I felt the need to help you, and just like what I thought, I wanted to pull you out of harm's way," to emphasize her statement, she tugged harshly at their entwined hands, sending Maki over to her direction and without a doubt, she landed in her arms.

Another wave of pink flushed its way onto Maki's cheeks, tainting her face with such redness, "C-Cut it out, will you?! And don't ever do that to me... all of a sudden...," she admitted, still avoiding any interactions with their sight.

"So should I ever ask for permission to hold you in my arms, would you consider that?", the teasing tone of the wolf-inhabited girl drilled those sulky words down onto the redhead's brain like screws, which was probably why coherent mumbles seemed to be out of reach for Maki. She kept on opening and closing her mouth like a fish out of water, face completely heating up as the embarrassment level went up to the pinnacle. 

She abruptly withdrew her hand from the grip of the other girl and stomped her way to the front, daring not to look at Nico in any way possible.

Nico, however, just shrugged. Probably because she was too dumb to understand how the redhead got so furious at such a harmless joke, or she was too numb to feel bashed by her own words. So she followed the younger girl, not far behind her but enough distance to have her a bit far from arm's reach.

When they did manage to spot the place where they had left the others though, Nico immediately perked up. She tensed when she saw the display of melted walls in front of her; rest assured, most of the concrete was still in one piece, but some were in their worst state possible.

Maki couldn't believe that the woman from earlier had released such deadly magic. Those acidic balls were flying across the corridor, shooting straight through the blockage like they were nothing but foam and mist. 

However, what concerned her more was the visible blue light that she saw fraying from the ceiling and on the floor, and she somehow came to a conclusion that something was amiss.

Before she could satisfy her curiosity, a slight tug on her sleeve made her head turn around to face the older girl, who had this unreadable face, "W-What?", she coughed out, still hesitant and a bit flushed at the words of the black-haired girl just now.

Nico, completely ignoring her reaction, bit her lower lip, "This situation keeps getting out of hand. Should we run?", she, yet again, held out her hand for the redhead to hold, unfazed by earlier's events.

The other was very disturbed. Most likely because of the lack of embarrassment from the other girl, but there were some who agreed on the reason where she seemed to be very straightforward and not really looking back on the past. 

And for that, Maki had no choice but to let out a very deep and prolonged sigh, rubbing her temples in frustration and just getting on with the black head's ignorant personality, "Fine. But don't drag—?!"

She never managed to finish her words when the wolf girl suddenly grabbed her by her wrist and firmly pulled her along the long run. With all the consecutive cutoffs from the other girl, Maki most definitely felt the need to yell at her. First, with her humming response. Second, with her attitude, which was in most ways very abnormal. Third, her ignorance. And fourth, her lack of continuity when it comes to another person's talk.

But she could do all of that later. Right now though, she had the responsibility and sense to just go with her instincts and try to...

Try to trust the other girl more.

Trust is a serious thing. The only people she could trust were her family. They deserve to be trusted. But currently, the only one she could put her entire faith on was the blonde, on Eli, whom like her was also lacking a family to be with. They were both victims of the arsonist, and those coincidence had them built up a strong connection, a bond to get to know each other better. And it was the best thing that ever happened to Maki.

She had another family member to cry on, because if Eli wasn't there when the time came to where her parents died, she would've lost any sanity to keep on living. And she was grateful for everything that the blonde has done for her.

But right now, her trust, her very important conviction was being given to the girl who was tugging at her wrist the whole way down the hall. 

And she would've been lying if she said that her certitude for the girl in front of her was pure. Intentionally, it could be, but deep inside, it was not wholeheartedly. For her, trust was too big of a thing to just be easily entrusted. And the other girl wad too suspicious to just be handed straight away with such a strong feeling.

And when the day comes, she would regret all of the things that she has done up until now.

But by the time that they had arrived at the scene where an ash-haired girl was about to be dropped on by a fraction of those liquified orbs, her horrendous face was shown.

And in a flash, she had appeared just below the scene herself, and the widening of her eyes continued to grow. But only because the black-haired girl did the most unexpected of things, as per usual.

She was pulled in again, this time though, she did not land on a body, instead at her side. Nico's right arm swung above their heads, spreading the flames across the ceiling, burning off the poisonous liquid before a drop could fall.

Embarrassed and yet relieved, Maki sighed, flushed that the black-haired girl had, for the umpteenth time, drawn her closer to her body, and happy that she had saved the unconscious gray-haired girl.

But her relief was a bit short lived when she heard a voice that she could've sworn she heard for a long time, and yet a bit in the distant past.

"Maki...?"

When she heard her name being called, she immediately turned her head around, only to find a blue-haired girl, who had this horror struck expression on her face, along with a rabbit sitting on her shoulder.

She could've been surprised, if she hadn't known this person for a while now. So the only fair thing she could do was respond to her with a crooked grin.

"Hey, Umi. Nice to see you again."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ah! Walking down memory lane. I can’t think of events that transcribe on how the soldier game trio knew each other, but I can always pertain to their work so... yeah.
> 
> Anyways, next chapter awaits!


	13. Episode 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is reunited so their next step is to have a check up. This is mostly just going to be smooth right? Well, it’s terrible in the end but a happy ending, not.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright! Nice, got another chapter going after having two weeks off. Better late than ever, I suppose! So it’s looking pretty good for me. 
> 
> Anyways, this chapter’s a bit longer so it’s kinda nice. And I like it. Hahahah, anyhow, enjoy the show!

"Maki...?"

"Hey, Umi. Nice to see you again."

Nico frowned. She kept on debating in her head on whether she was the only person in this tiny world that has no one to even know or just be acquainted to. And she couldn't even believe that a random girl like the redhead knew the one from earlier, a stranger too.

So when she observed that the acid from the ceiling was no longer there and has been completely dissolved by her power, she brushed off her hand a few good times before the fire disappeared like normal flames being blown out by the wind.

She turned around to see the shocked face that the bluenette had adorned on her face, same as the weird and forced smile that the redhead had put up on herself. If she were to say with restraints, then she'd gladly point out that they were both idiots.

That and if it weren't for another newcomer, who seems to know both of them as well, she would've been in between them to finish the unusual atmosphere.

"Umi?", was the weak call from the blonde, who was being carried by the purple-haired girl bridal style. And if the two younger girls weren't fairing any better when it came to reunions, then Nico was sure that she would've been too much than a third wheel when they're all here.

Umi, who had this look of surprise, had her eyes widened even more when she took a good look at the blonde currently snuggled in Nozomi's arms, "Eli?!", she exclaimed, not expecting her two colleagues to be here of all places, strangely enough that their paths have crossed under one roof. Fate must be very desperate to have them reunite.

Nozomi giggled at the exchange of the three, very amused, "So I take it that you three know each other?", she asked, then stealing a glance at the ebony-haired girl, who seemed to look at a distance with this solemn face. And she'd have to pry reasons later for that.

Eli coughed out on her hand, "Well, we met not long ago at our workplace. Maki and I were working there along with another friend of ours, so whenever we went out, we would frequently meet Umi and Honoka at our office," she explained, then looking around as if she was searching, "By the way, where's Honoka? Is she not with you?"

The bluenette sighed, not wanting to answer but either way, she had no choice, "She's over there," she pointed her index finger at the corner, where a hunched up orange-haired girl was sitting, along with a fuzzy brown bear curled up beside her, both narrowing gazes at each other.

Maki had this disappointed look on her face, "Still the same as always, I see," she stated knowingly, her words as normal as it seemed. Then realizing that her friend had a Spirit Animal beside her, her mouth went agape, "Eh? She has a Spirit Animal?", she asked, quite amazed.

This time, it was Nozomi who answered her, "She just happened to release it earlier. But color me surprise, even I didn't expect her to summon it the second time around without proper training," she mused while smirking, which was quite unusual with what she had said.

"Honoka is Honoka. She is very unpredictable, if I do say so myself," Eli chuckled at her orange-haired friend. She was very unique in another's eyes, so it was a good thing that Eli had met her. No one could manage to compare her enthusiasm and unpredictability.

Well, save for Nozomi, of course.

"Agreed," Umi seconded, sounding very tired and weary, though she did manage to lean on the wall and slowly drift down onto the ground, "So... should we put them all in their rooms? I think they need to take a good night's rest," she muttered, continuing her sentence.

Nozomi nodded in acknowledgment, "But of course, you also need to rest, Umi-chan! Wouldn't want you to collapse in the middle of the night, not with your Spirit Animal still hanging around your shoulder," she teased, that mischievous smile intact on her face.

Umi faltered for a bit, then asked her partner if it could rest as well, and with just a plea, the rabbit vanished into thin air, probably finding solitude inside the bluenette's body.

The redhead sighed in relief, then straightened up, "Alright, if there's nothing more to be done then I'll be leading you to your rooms. It's just beside Eli's room," she said, then marched forward back to the corridor where they had found Eli.

Umi nodded and started to carry the injured and whimpering Kotori in her arms, with Honoka following suit as she lifted Hanayo up with her bear dragging Rin with it.

Nozomi stayed back and waited for Nico to return back from her thoughts. She was too deep in her head that even she didn't notice that the others were walking away.

"Aren't you coming, Nicocchi?", the purple-haired girl asked, a hint of worry in her voice.

The black-haired girl just hummed in response, just to give Nozomi at least some closure on their conversation.

But it wasn't enough.

"You know...," Nozomi started, and when she noticed that Nico was not paying any attention to her words, she continued, "With every second passing by ever since you activated your power earlier, you've been getting numb," she admitted.

Nico perked up, tense at the suspicion that Nozomi had, but sighed when she got compliant, "Look, I was numb even before I met that guy. The Magician, I mean. And he just made my feelings go even further down the drain. I can't feel anything, sometimes I do but mostly I don't," she revealed, averting her eyes from any contact.

Eli seemed to catch up to their conversation, and without warning she asked, "Are you the one that the Government was after all those years ago?"

Nico stared at her, a side glance if nothing, "The old hag did say that already earlier, but yeah. Pretty sweet, right? Being famous with the Government that they so much as chase me around the country... Even kill if they have to, just to get their hands on me," she grinned, hands shakily held each other so as to compose herself, "But I won't let them. For as long as it takes, if by all means necessary, they'll have to search high and low and I still won't appear in their clutches."

Nozomi nodded in return, just placing it at that for a later meeting. So she put up a smile and cheekily snatched up Nico by her collar, practically dragging her down the hall, "Alright, that'll be enough for now. Let's go to our rooms!", she enthusiastically exclaimed, grinning while Eli was sweat dropping at her friend's antics.

'Same old Nozomi, I suppose,' the blonde thought helplessly, but it was something that she had admired and loved about her.

Though she did feel bad for the ebony-haired girl, who minded the harsh tugging at her collar. A lot, be reminded.

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

"Please step inside the machine before we take any of you to a room," a nurse from the counter, which was sectioned at the entrance, saw them coincidentally carrying a lot of injured people. So she had them checked up in their laboratory first before she will assign them each with a room.

The laboratory was all white; white walls, white beds, white sheets, white ceilings, even the furnace was white. The only thing keeping it from becoming a mental room was the distinguished metal machine in the middle, along with the hard and silver apparatus that they keep inside. The machine looked like a human sized microscope, only that the lenses were straight forward and not at a high angle line of sight. Just up ahead of its spectacle was a flat thin board made of stainless steel, somehow also painted white, but its borders where maintained. At the monocle station where you look through, below it was some sort or computer, only that it was flat and just holographic.

"Uwaaaah~", Honoka stared in awe at the doorway, feeling very lucky to be seeing such an enormous machine that she may probably not know of.

And indeed, she has not a single clue of what the device is for.

Umi, too, was stupefied. It was not something that you can just see everyday, and certainly not when you are a normal patient at the hospital. It really felt like they were treating them with much higher respects.

Maki, having to be the daughter of the previous owners of this hospital, didn't seem as surprised as they were, but astonished as to why the nurse took them to this room, "Is it alright? I mean, it's fine if they were—"

"With their injuries, I'm afraid we need to check them up first before treating their wounds. Especially the girl over there," the nurse pointed towards the girl lying limply on Umi's arms.

The redhead just sighed and stayed quiet, not wanting to pry any further as to why the nurse would want them to delay their recovery.

She is a nurse, so she just went with it. She knows what she's doing, Maki supposed.

"Fine. But make it quick," she twirled yet another strand of her red locks, embarrassed by her affirmation as the nurse just chuckled at her manners.

"Yes. Well then, shall we get started?"

She showed them onto a bench, or more like a sofa. 'Rich people,' Nico hissed vehemently with envy, but didn't say much out loud.

So without any restraints, they all flopped down onto the seat; Nozomi still having Eli in her arms, same with Kotori on Umi, Hanayo was on the middle with Rin on her left, and lastly Honoka at the other edge.

Nico chose to stand and lean on the smooth white walls of the room, preferring to be more observant and less slacking off, as she would've said so herself.

Maki was beside the nurse, whom was sitting at an office chair directly behind the device. She seemed to be typing something on the keyboard, and then with one last press, she clapped her hands, "Okay, who's up first?", she asked.

And with a ready hand, Honoka raised hers pre-immediately, "Me! Me! I want to go first!", her enthusiasm never betrayed her.

And the woman chuckled at her for that, "Very well then. Please step onto the platform and face your back at us," she instructed, then looked at the computer screen when Honoka complied at her instruction and had her back faced towards them.

The monocle produced some sort of green laser ray, which appeared in a thin horizontal line from above, then slowly scanned downwards, capturing the orange-haired girl's aura through her body.

"According to the monitor, you seem to be as fine as anyone can be. You may step off now," the nurse noted Honoka's vital signs. The monitor showed her body, which was quite clear and definite, then when she was off of the platform, she had the next one come up, which was Hanayo.

Unfortunately, said girl was still unconscious and could barely move a muscle if awake, what with how much she had exerted over the past few hours ago.

Honoka, having been finished, volunteered to be Hanayo's escort in balancing her enough to finish the machinery's scan on her. She, for a third time in a row, released her Spirit Animal and asked it if it could carry Hanayo over to the platform.

Nozomi's eyes widened. She had never expected Honoka of all people to be able to master the summoning of her Spirit Animal in just a day. And yet she managed to call it for the third time in a row. "Interesting...~", she mused, hiding a smirk forming on her face, all the while Eli was looking at her with this confused stare of her own.

The bear stood up proudly on its hind feet, then had Hanayo lean onto its back so she is, at the very least, still straight enough for her body to be examined.

The flash of green rays yet again appeared above, then slowly skimmed downwards whilst pointing at Hanayo's back.

A beep was heard on the computer. The nurse checked up on it and nodded a few good times, "A mild concussion on the head, probably from the sudden loss of energy. Then a few strains on her body," she explained. The screen blinked as a graph of Hanayo's body appeared with red rings and dots on her head and a few all over her body, "She could use a few good night's rest, and just a check up once she awakens. Next," she finished.

The bear grumbled and stood back on all fours, carrying the brown-haired girl on its back and crawled back onto the sofa. It plopped the girl down and lifted the next girl, which was Rin.

Then it did the same for her as it did with Hanayo; it had her lean against its back and then stayed still.

When the analysis was complete, another beep was heard from the monitor, "Just minor injuries from her arms and legs, scratches and cuts along her torso. Signs of strangulation on her neck and a mild concussion. A bit of sleep will do her good, but she will have to stay in the hospital for a few check ups before she can he discharged," she explained, having the computer show Rin with ringlets of red shades on her body, "Next."

"Well, it's your turn, Umi-chan!", Nozomi cheerily suggested, putting up a bright face that shone with tease and enlightenment.

Umi never did manage to notice the mischief on the purple-haired girl's tone of voice, for all of her attention was on the ashen-haired girl on her lap. She gulped slightly and stood up all the while carrying Kotori in her arms. At first she was scared, afraid that if she moved just a tiny bit of muscle on her body, then the poor injured girl in her arms would be hurt all the more.

But right now, she needed to just stay focused and concentrate on the movement that would satisfy her worry for Kotori.

So she grabbed the unconscious girl's arms and slowly wrapped them around her neck as she supported her limp body by the hips, lightly as to not put any pressure on her back. And with her face at close proximity with Kotori's, her flushed face was priceless for the others.

Especially to Nozomi.

"Uhm, please hurry up," Umi reminded the nurse about the analysis, who was secretly staring at them with this satisfied look on her face.

The nurse, apparently caught with a happy expression, coughed onto her hand and pretended that nothing ever happened, "Yes, pardon me. Okay then," she turned on the machine as it scanned Kotori from her back the same as it did with the first three.

A loud beep, unlike from before which was tuned down a bit, was emitted from the computer, and the nurse couldn't help but sweat, "Tension and muscle strain on her biceps and legs, and her back...," she couldn't manage to finish the sentence without a slight pause, and it made Umi more worried for what she has to comment, "Well, to be honest, her back is pretty much fatal. It could, if not treated right and on time, possibly lead to her own demise," the others gasped lightly about this, but exhaled all their tension away when the woman continued, "But don't worry. She should be better once we start working on it. I'll have a doctor assemble our specialists on this."

The nurse called a doctor through a phone on the wall just beside the doorway, and in a few good moments, a group of men and women alike marched straight inside and had Kotori lie on a stretcher.

Umi was quick enough to know that the gray-haired girl was in desperate need of help, so as much as possible, she held tightly onto the girl's hand, which was cold due to the blood loss and unconsciousness, before letting it go as the doctors carried her towards another room.

The bluenette sighed, then turned around as she was next to be examined. 'Worrying about Kotori can wait,' she thought.

When the green light passed through her from top to bottom, the computer stayed silent, "Hmm... you don't seem to have any painful receptors on your body, so I guess this means that you're good to go," the nurse told her.

Another heavy sigh of relief was released from Umi as she made her way back onto the fluffy sofa, and up next was Nozomi and Eli.

Being carried by the one she loves really makes her happy, but Eli might die this instant if the love of her life doesn't stop grinning at her like a mad fool ready to tease her endlessly.

So the only thing that will probably make her feel any less timid would be to have Nozomi put her down and let her stand on her own two feet. And what was her response?

"I prefer having you in my arms though! Or would you rather I hug you from behind while you get your body checked? That way I'll examine your body as it goes~!"

The morality... Her pride couldn't get any less weaker than it is now.

Or it could.

"Or maybe I'll check up on you myself, hmm~?", Nozomi continued all the while having this large grin on her face, making Eli go red in a matter of seconds.

"N-Nozomi! Stop it!", she yelped when the purple-haired girl intentionally poked her at her ribs, making her go even redder and a bit ticklish.

Humming in satisfaction, Nozomi left her and walked down to the side, changing her expression to just a normal one, "Alright then. To be continued~!"

"Nozomi!"

Nico heaved out a frustrated breath, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger, "I swear if you two don't stop flirting right now, I'll add more pain in your body than that machine could ever count," she growled, threatening them to continue their old married couple act, a fist raised in the air that was shaking with what seems to be anger.

The blonde, of course, was petrified and opted to just get on with the scanning, and Nozomi was unaffected by the dangerous warning as she just shrugged her shoulders playfully. Nico just clicked her tongue in annoyance and glanced away.

No sound came, "You're good to go now, your body is perfectly healthy. Next," the nurse instructed.

Huffing out a restrained breath, Eli stepped down from the platform and headed straight towards Nozomi, who had this smile on her face as she had tapped the blonde on the shoulder, "Sit back and wait for me, okay?", she winked, making Eli suffer another round of blushing as she dizzily made her way to the sofa, possibly because of her weak body from an accident a few days ago or simply just because of her affection for the purple-haired girl.

When the machine scanned Nozomi, two beeps came off, "Nothing serious, but it seems that pain lingers on the right side of your neck and another one on your right hand. Other than that, you're fine," the nurse commented on her analysis from the computer's results. Her words did somehow make Nozomi conscious about something on her neck as she had unconsciously rubbed a hand on the right side of her neck.

And as the purple-haired girl made her way back to the expensive bench, Eli glanced at her with a worried expression, "So it still hurts?", she asked. And she glanced at the small but visible scar on the purple head's nape, a cut that happened a long time ago.

Her worried tone and look made Nozomi smile a bit, then it had the girl sit as she also relaxed her body down onto the long chair, "A bit, but it doesn't bug me much. Stop worrying, Elicchi!", she then pinched Eli by her cheek, making the blonde flush in bright pink.

"Nyoshomi...!", she pouted, earning another death glare from Nico.

"Get a room!"

The nurse typed something onto the computer, then she motioned for Nico to step in onto the platform. Without hesitation, the ebony-haired girl strutted towards the machine, then hopped onto the elevated area. She turned around and then stood still.

A few good seconds of silence came by, then without any warning, a wave of beeps flooded the room, the ringing and booming of the noise sent everyone in a state of shock and pain, bringing them down as they clutched their hands onto their ears for dear life.

Even the nurse couldn't help but feel distressed by the loud clamor, and had no choice but to pry one of her closed eyes open in pain, "G-Good heavens!", she gasped, then immediately pressed a red button at the edge of the board, shutting down the machine and stooping the sound, but the monitor was still on, "H-How are you still alive?!", she screamed.

Maki's eyes flew open when she heard the nurse yell, then focused her vision onto the computer screen. What she saw was very alarming, and very outrageous, if you asked her.

The screen showed Nico's body, and unlike with the others, the red dots appeared all over her body; from her head down to her toes. And this was a first that the redhead ever saw someone with pain receptors all over their body, and yet they're still somewhat okay.

She gritted her teeth, then looked at Nico, "Just... what are you?", she seethed through closed dentures, but was surprised by the solemn answer from the girl.

"You know what I am, right? I'm a monster," then Nico side glanced back at her, eyes piercing just with a gaze, "And it's never going to change, not even in a million years."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you think that Maki’s reactions on Nico is strong, look forward to the next chapter. Her attitude will completely go OOC even for this story’s standards! I hope you can cope with my unique brain. Cause I can hardly do that. Hahaha.
> 
> So, see you next week! Hopefully I won’t get another nauseating attack.


	14. Episode 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Maki and Nico have a heart-to-heart alone in the room. They talk about things and try to understand each other. I suppose Nico has her confusion sometimes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit more serious even though it implies more teasing than not. The next chapter is also just a part of this, but I chose to cut them since it’s both long enough to be individual chapters alone.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy~

"A monster... huh...," Maki murmured, sweat dangerously trickling down onto her collarbone, an angry and pitiful look on her face as she basically glared her way onto the black-haired girl, boring holes onto her head for who knows what her reasons may be.

 

Nico snorted, hearing the words that came out as a hushed whisper from the redhead, "Yeah, got a problem with that?", she provoked, crossing her arms as she faced up front, now leering at those amethyst orbs that the redhead adorned with her own rubies.

 

The mood shifted and the tension rose, sending everyone shivers of unlike anything they've ever felt, it was not threatening though it is uncomfortable to be in.

 

"Look, why are you so insistent about being a monster? I mean, you look like the type to just sit around and do nothing—"

 

"And yet, I killed a woman who's mental disorder was to try and kill me; even you, Princess," Nico cut her off, scrunching up her face as she draped her words with as much venom as it took a snake to poison.

 

Maki clicked her tongue in annoyance, but she never faltered, "You weren't at fault for that. It was just so you could defend yourself—"

 

"And I could've just sent her to a prison or just trap her somewhere forever. Still, I never did that. I never thought of that. Because the only thing that I've ever done was to kill. And my own solution to any problem was murder!", the ebony-haired teen hissed through gritted teeth, the narrowing of her eyes made her stare more intense.

 

The atmosphere thickened, and others besides the two were stuck at just staying silent and watch as Nico and Maki bantered with a commotion that could slaughter.

 

So when the silence continued, the one to first put down her pride was, surprisingly, Nico. She sighed and just walked off from the platform without any sound, waving her hand in the air, "Is that all you wanted to know? If that's it then I'm—!"

 

"W-Wait!", when the raven-haired girl strolled back onto the sofa, the redhead's eyes widened, a mixture of confounded and, for reasons unknown, fear. So the only thing that she could do was, uncommonly, to hug her from behind, her arm clutching at Nico's waist with her body pressing against the ebony-haired girl's back.

 

Nico's breath hitched from the sudden action that the redhead had just initiated, and it made the others in the room go wide eyed and jaw drop. Even the nurse was taken aback; hell, even Nozomi seemed to have been unsuspected about the actual predicaments happening at the moment, and it made her even more interested.

 

And the only logical thing she could do to have them resolve their own problem was for the others to leave. So she whispered something to Eli, to which the blonde nodded at whatever idea that the purple-haired girl came up with, "Alright everyone, let's give them some space. So in the meantime, why don't we settle Hanayo and her friend at a room and check up on Kotori's progress?", Nozomi cheekily recommended, her expression like that of a cheerful and yet frightfully serious person.

 

And it made the others go shut as they just nodded without any protests and left the room without any more noise, leaving the two remaining girls to have a heart to heart conversation of their own without any disturbance.

 

Maki took this as her cue to bring up on the subject of their disagreement, "You... don't have to be so hard on yourself, you know...," she whispered in a soft tone, unlike the usual pitch she frequently uses.

 

Nico frowned, as she had expected another topic to be laid out at the moment. But she supposed that the redhead would bring that up later. So right now...

 

"How?", she asked. Maki looked at her with wide eyes as the ebony-haired girl tilted her head backwards to face her with a side glance, "How?", she repeated, voice being a pitch higher than earlier.

 

And it made the redhead speechless for a moment, then relaxed when she was ready to answer, "Just... think of this as a gift—"

 

"A gift that can murder numerous citizens," Nico continued, once again cutting her off with a negative effect.

 

But Maki kept on.

 

"A gift that can protect people," she said, all the while clutching the raven head's hands and wrapping them with her own, making Nico blush a bright pink, quite seldom if you asked. She did not expect the amethyst-eyed girl to do that, but she was happy that she did.

 

But she never did say.

 

So in protest to what she wanted, Nico kept on a stubborn front and faced away, "W-What makes you think that? And let go of my hands!", she blurted out while pulling her hands and trying to pry Maki's grip off of them, but to no vail.

 

Because Maki won't let go.

 

She huffed out a breath, oblivious with what she was making Nico feel with her actions, "I saw you...," she muttered in a low tone, not wanting to have the other girl hear. But it did not work, of course.

 

Her soft words jerked Nico back into consciousness, her face now blank and screaming confusion, "What? Saw me? Where?", she grew furious, now clutching onto the taller girl's collar with her right hand, not because of what the redhead said, but because she saw what she had done and did absolutely nothing to stop her!

 

But her premonitions were wrong as Maki answered a different answer from what she had imagined, "I saw you walking around the streets... I... I saw you steal food and fight people for it. I saw you getting all dirty and beat up because of it. I saw you get hurt because you were different!", Maki grabbed Nico by her hand that was currently holding her collar, then put as much force as she could to push it away and have it free from her shirt.

 

The black-haired girl slightly faltered by the sudden heightened tonality of the younger girl, not expecting her to shout out her thoughts. Especially the ones that she had least expected of her to know.

 

"You... saw me?", she whispered, doubting Maki's words as her anger was immediately changed to worry.

 

And when she saw the redhead nod in admittance, Nico failed to stand up straight and gave up to her wobbly knees. She kneeled with the push of gravity and tucked her legs in, head hung low in deep thought.

 

"Huh... wonder how you saw me back then... Did you feel pity?", Nico grumbled under her breath, bangs overshadowing her eyes as Maki continued to gaze at her on a high angle degree.

 

The shorter-haired girl frowned, "I did," she answered straightforwardly, then crouching on her knees so she was on the same height level as the shorter girl, "But I suppose it's not the only emotion I felt," she added.

 

This caught Nico's attention as her head perked up to glance at her with one eye, the other hidden behind her hair, "What else is there to feel?", she asked, pressing her for answers with just a sharp gaze of an iris.

 

And when a soft expression crept its way on Maki's face, the black-haired girl was taken aback, "I felt relieved," though unlikely for a reaction, Nico's hand slipped comically and her body went limp as it fell onto the floor with a thud.

 

"What the hell? Relieved? What's that supposed to mean?", she never really made any effort to push herself upward from her current position, so her comeback of a jab was slightly decreased in animosity.

 

Maki shrugged, and it would've blown off Nico's fuse if she had never heard the following words from her, "I felt relieved because you didn't give up even when the world was about to give up on you," the redhead went on all fours, head drooping down and was now face to face with Nico at close proximity, hair falling down and tickled the pale cheeks of the girl beneath her, which she would've felt and be embarrassed about if she weren't as numb as she was now.

 

The ebony-haired girl stalemated their staring contest, giving the younger girl a gaze of her own, "I didn't give up because I had to," she answered robotically but with a bit of emotion in it.

 

"You didn't give up because you never really wanted to," forced Maki, eyes now intensely focused solely on Nico, closing in on the gap between them.

 

"How would you know that?"

 

Maki stayed silent for a while, then sighed, calming her nerves as her face softened once more, eyes now closed, "I already told you before, I was watching you. And you never really looked like you were about to end everything you've done," she said truthfully, then glanced away as she tucked a strand of her hair on her ear, "Because to me, you were standing out as someone who wants to accomplish a lot of things. And it's a good enough reason for me to believe that you're a strong person."

 

Nico sucked in a deep breath, a bit startled by the redhead's confession.

 

But she chose to stay quiet about her thoughts, and let the atmosphere get even more intense as the two never moved an inch with their current position, no matter the embarrassment.

 

Maki was getting kind of annoyed by the obstinacy that the ruby-eyed girl was showing, but she needed to be patient. This time around, she would be the one to know the truth.

 

And the one to be able to express her feelings to.

 

But her prompt confidence dispersed when an audible sound of laughter came to life as Nico rolled over to the side while clutching onto her gut, a fit of giggles escaping her mouth while her body drastically accumulated too much giddiness as it shook with deviance at the chuckles.

 

"Oh man! Haha! That is hilarious! Bwahahaha!", the black-haired girl was guffawing too much that she couldn't help but weigh her body on all fours, three if you count of her right arm currently latched on her stomach, "Ke-Fu! Hahaha! S—I—I can't seem to—Haha! S-Stop laughing! Hahahaha!"

 

Maki became fully flustered at the choice of reaction that the other girl gave her, what with how serious she was with her statement and she, on the other hand, was too uncaring and nonchalant about the topic. So she did that one thing that she would've done so if Nico wasn't very abrasive about her own actions.

 

She pinned the other girl to the ground, her hands instilling Nico's wrists to the floor as her legs enclosed the raven head's, now face to face for real with her, "I'm serious," she muttered.

 

Forthwith, Nico's face went devoid of any emotions, now staying solemn as she kept her gaze at Maki's, staying on toe with her.

 

"I'm serious, too. But I never really imagined you to be as bold as that tits monster," the ravenette half stated and half teased while still keeping the straight face, only with a curved lopsided grin.

 

Maki harrumphed, sucking her lips in as it formed a thin line, "I'm not trying to be as bold as her, I just want you to focus only on me," she admitted, half of her very abashed by her own words.

 

Nico was unaffected, save for her reaction that had raised brows and a quirky smile, "I can't think of anyone who'll take their eyes off of this beautiful lady in front of me," she tantalized, blowing off a bit of air to shoo away the redhead's bangs covering her forehead.

 

The hot breath of the black-haired girl drew blood as it ran up to her face and caused her cheeks to glow a bright pinkish red, "Mou~ If you can keep teasing me, then at least be serious about what I'm telling you," she retorted, getting quite annoyed at Nico's playfulness.

 

Said girl smirked, then released her wrists from the redhead's grip and out powered her at man handling strength, taking her off guard as she pushed her to the side and then rolled above her, instantly switching their post positions.

 

"Then, if I ask you to go out with me, will you also answer me seriously?", Nico swooned, now inching closer towards Maki, little by little cutting off the gap between them.

 

Once their nose brushed slightly, it didn't take long for Maki to explode in complete embarrassment, eyes closed shut, "W-What?! I don't understand! What does this have to do with anything?!", she wriggled under the raven head's arm lock, wanting to push her out of the way. But her strength was too much for her to handle.

 

Nico slid off her nose from hers, then headed her face straight downward as it inched closer to Maki's ear, "If you already knew that I was just playing around, then all of this wouldn't have happened, don't you think?", she whispered, possibly wanting to tick off the redhead.

 

Which it did.

 

But instead of any harsh splatters, she only heard a sigh from her, "Then, can you please get off of me?", Maki asked lightly, tilting her head to the side so she couldn't face the girl above her.

 

Nico smirked, "Yes Ma'am," she teased, then stood up while straightening her back. After that, she outstretched a hand for the redhead to pull herself up with, which was accepted timidly.

 

Maki grumbled incoherent words, to which the ebony-haired girl never had the privilege of understanding, then she looked straight back at Nico, "Okay, back to the serious part," she continued.

 

Nico closed her eyes as she nodded, "Bring it."

 

Maki took that as a sign to move on to her topic, face grim and very unsettled, "When... When my house was set on fire," she started, and Nico knew of the outcome to which this conversation was leading to.

 

'Finally. I get to repent for my sins... I hope,' she thought.

 

The redhead followed her own words, "I saw you... entering," she bit her bottom lip as she said all that, looking away.

 

Nico hummed as a sign for her to keep going, readying her lines of judgement to her actions.

 

"During that time, you were the only one I saw inside my house...," Maki forced in a hushed tone through slightly gritted teeth, and the raven head could only take a long stare at the disturbance that the reality might be weighing down on the redhead's shoulders.

 

Maki huffed out another breath, "And for that... I'm really grateful," she stopped, tears threatening to fall down on her face as she covered her mouth with a hand to stop the sobs from escaping, with little to no vail.

 

And Nico's mind stopped functioning when she said all of that.

 

"W-What? But I—I was the one who killed your parents! I—I'm to blame for all of this!", she reasoned out, even resorting to emphasizing her actions with her arms.

 

With a sniff, the redhead shook her head in disagreement, "No! I knew it, I knew it the moment that I saw you earlier. I'm sure... I'm sure that everything was just a misunderstanding!", she claimed, making Nico look at her with confusion.

 

"Why? A misunderstanding?! You're wrong! I was the one who did all that! I'm—"

 

"You're the one who saved Eli!", Maki cut her off, raising her voice in hopes of sending her message across.

 

And at that point, nothing made sense to Nico. Nothing at all.

 

So she recalled everything that happened at that time.

 

And for once in her life, she was wrong about her actions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I dunno if I should put some more info in the next chapter, but I can think of guesses about what to put in them. Like, who the arsonist really is since Maki suspects it wasn’t Nico who did it. Maybe I can put who the arsonist is then Nico gets to confront him.
> 
> Well, besides that, I’m cool. Till next time!


	15. Episode 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A continuation regarding Nico and Maki’s heart to heart. So how do they settle with Nico being one of the innocents?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s the first time that I’ve updated in the morning. I know I’ll be busy at night or the connection’ll be unstable for me to update and all, so I thought, why not early? 
> 
> Haha, but this chapter is a bit... err, more of a flashback really, but I guess I got my point across when Maki thought that Nico was the one who killed her parents.
> 
> Sooooo, whithout further ado, let’s begin!

_2 weeks ago..._

 

 

 

_A very hungry wolf with dangerously gleaming red eyes walked along the jagged path through the forest just at the edge of Otonokizaka. Body shudders and low grumbles escaped from its body, whining throughout its stroll on the narrow leeway._

 

_Wind blew excessively seldom, and the sunlight beamed brightly ever so often. And as a bit of on the vampire's bloodline, the animal was very much disturbed by the unnatural heat from the ball of hot gas, and preferred an abusive breeze than a hurling fireball._

 

_Nobody seemed to be concerned about it though, as the place looked nearly isolated, save for the log cabins occasionally seen at farther places than the last, another fortunate reason that had the wolf motivated while zooming across the sea of trunks and leaves, for it is in its favor if people were scattered rather than gathered._

 

_Of course, unfortunately, it had to go through a few hours with an empty stomach, what with how the place was mostly inhabited, the food supply was nearing zero._

 

_And to suffice its hunger, the wolf had no other choice but to either crawl its way out of the forest and back to the streets where people would most likely hunt it down and all of its efforts would've been for nothing, or stick around._

 

_And eat rocks and tree barks._

 

_There's also the option of munching on grass, but that would've ruined its appetite and changed its ways of being a carnivorous wild beast. It was not a cow, as it would retort._

 

_So unlike other wolves, rather the past ones, this one was typically trained, more like forced, to eat branches and small twigs from the ground, a survivalist if you asked. It was healthy and yet unhealthy at the same time._

 

_Sure, most likely for a wolf, it would've just ravaged humans running amok once they see its grand appearance, but it much preferred to stay civilized._

 

_A perk of being a half human, it supposed._

 

_The gist of having a Spirit Animal was to sneak past the overpopulated area and crawl through the woods, get some more privacy by remaining into places that no mere human could ever reach, and being able to stand alone even if you have nobody to lean on._

 

_Nobody but yourself, a primal rule when it comes to surviving in the wild._

 

_A loud growl was heard, its stomach most likely craving for food at the moment. The wolf was never a picky eater, but eating tree barks was not a good diet to begin with. So for an endurance test, it wandered off into nowhere for about two days straight without any food nor water to replenish its hunger._

 

_However, its long pointed ears perked up at the sound of running water, very faint for her, and unheard by others._

 

_Sighing in relief, the wolf pushed its body to its reaching point, placing all its thoughts about tiredness and hunger at the back of its tiny mind, practically crawling forward with enthusiasm and hope, that finally, it could at least refill its now void gut._

 

_The vivid lushness of the greenery was calming, soothing, and yet the wolf was sweating excessively, very aggressive and desperate for nourishment. And the surrounding area of peace and serenity never managed to hook up its attention in the very least._

 

_But the flowing river of cleansed water seemed to attract its undivided focus._

 

_Once in sight, the wolf began to trudge more quickly, less slumping and more crawling. Tongue sticking out and throat being clogged with saliva as the dryness of its mouth intensified._

 

_But the thought of having a cool and refreshing drink from the riverbank seemed to be acknowledged and had the animal become motivated to move forward once again._

 

_And by the time that it reached the stream, its paw inches away from the damp and cold flowing river, the wolf slumped down in exhaustion, head just about a stretch away from touching the water._

 

_And with eagerness to drink, the wolf ravaged the river, its whole head was dipped below the current, not caring that it would have costed it the oxygen that it needed to breathe, and cared more that it would have satisfied its thirst for liquid._

 

_Once engaged in a series of suffocation, the wolf threw its head back into the surface, shaking its head to rid itself from being sopping wet. Inhaling air looked like a challenge, but it managed to regain slight consciousness as it went back to drinking water from the river, but only with its tongue, as it would normally do._

 

_Meanwhile, as it was replenishing its thirst for more water down its throat, a shadow zoomed past behind it, blazing at breakneck speed. The grass leaped into the air, cut from their roots, even the dirt was flown away as it was carried by the breeze of the lightning-fast figure._

 

_The wolf's tail immediately sensed its overwhelming presence, what with how it stood up even when the wolf itself looked like nothing was ever there._

 

_So when its tail wagged and swished all around, the wolf couldn't help but take a look at what it has caught up to. And, to its surprise, it managed to catch the mysterious form from the edge of its dilated pupils._

 

_A few batches of wind blew, then the wolf up and went away, following the shadow with a whiff from its black perky nose, chasing down the path which it assumed was where the figure went._

 

_It can tell the essence left by the mysterious shadow as it zoomed past the sea of trees, its color blue with a hint of mint green, an aura quite unusual in these parts of the country._

 

_And the wolf couldn't help but be curious and intrigued._

 

_So without any delay, it fastened its pace, now believed to have the same velocity as the moving figure ahead. Perhaps with just the quick edge, it would've reached it by now._

 

_Of course, an advantage when it came to hunting was having the right distance from the prey, observation is a must, and the right timing of when to strike. Momentum is the key to a successful catch, as they say._

 

_But the perseverance of the wolf supposedly stopped, his paws digging deep into the dirt to momentarily halt its swift motion._

 

_The mysterious figure ended up reaching the city grounds, and it made the wolf wary of whether to keep on following it and ignore the possible ambiance it might cause for the citizens, or just forget about it and go back to hunting down food._

 

_Given that it was hard finding mouthfuls of meat, hell it was already a challenge to suppress its thirst, it decided to just comply with the feeling in its gut and zoomed past the population at light speed to catch up to the moving shadow._

 

_The gap given when the wolf paused at trying to reach it had widened, making the wolf a bit confused as to where the figure might possibly go. So using its snout as a weapon to finding it, the wolf sniffed out a very familiar scent._

 

_It made it curious as well, the scent was alluring, however familiar it may be, but it still lingers as a memory on its head somewhat. Not distinguishable, sadly, so it paid no heed furthermore._

 

_Turning to sharp corners of the alleyway, supposedly where the shadow went, the wolf chased the weakening scent down the narrow street canals, barely grazing its fur on the pavement._

 

_The city was bustling with people, so it was difficult not to be spotted at a crowded area, especially when the smell cuts off and is avail at the other end of the crossing._

 

_The wolf clicked its tongue, humanely. It can't possibly just zip past the sidewalk without being unnoticed. Going around to reach the other way would have been too late for it to catch up. And jumping above the street could attract attention._

 

_So the only possible way for it to blend in was to shift back._

 

_It turned back to a hidden corner, hiding itself as it glowed a bright whitish light. It enveloped its whole body whilst it shuddered in endurance to whatever feeling it may have caused it._

 

_And in a short span of time, the light disappeared, now revealing a girl with black hair in high twin-tails with the very same ruby red eyes in ragged clothing, not completely torn to shreds but enough to cover most parts of her body, at the very least the private ones._

 

_"Such a waste of good energy...," the girl muttered tiredly and hoarsely, now turning around and ready to cross the road._

 

_She stopped when she saw that the streetlights were turned green, the very indication of cars moving in front of her. She learned this as she went on with life on the streets, observing how the people only walked past the white horizontal lines whenever the lights turned red._

 

_The gossips around her seemed to bother her more that the annoying beeps from the traffic. Unlike the sound of honking cars, verbal backstabbing was another thing to be very mad about._

 

_She didn't like it one bit._

 

_It was kind of ticking her off, but her main priority was to follow the shadow and—_

 

_'Shit!!', the girl thought, now realizing that she had forgotten about her prior objective as to why she is here right now._

 

_Ignoring the signal, she sped up her pace and ran to the other side of the road._

 

_The roaring of the cars never reached her ears, even the whistling of the pedestrians and policemen were unheard. Because even when a moving object was in front of her, she would just vault herself over it and continue with her chase, or just evade it like it was a fly._

 

_She never lost her footing, because adrenaline was all that was keeping her steady and balanced, and if she were to stop now, her focus would be pointless at this point._

 

_Up ahead was a rather difficult path to take. There was a left and right fork, which seemed to narrow her chances of reaching it by 50%. Another bad this was, at the center of the two leeway, a wide and vast plain laid bare of any decor, completely barren and airy. Grass swaying with the wind in harmonious sync, and even then not a single other object could be seen other than the green patches of weeds._

 

_The wolf girl moaned in astonishment, "How in the world am I going to find him now?!", she wailed, anger directed at what's in front of her, not specifically but in general._

 

_She grumbled some incoherent words, then raised her chin as her nose did their work to make her search as easy as possible. Her eyes scrunched up when all she smelled, which was clearly from the mysterious figure, had gone haywire and were dispersed everywhere, making her sense of smell utterly useless for the meantime._

 

_Clicking her tongue, she then closed her eyes then stopped on her feet, now standing at the midpoint where the two paths stood perpendicular at each other._

 

_She took in a deep breath, then heaved it all out. And did the same process again, and again, and again. Until her mind was clear and her heart was calm. When her eyes opened, the sharpness of her irises increased tenfold. Dilated pupils glanced from left to right, seeing the invisible._

 

_Once she managed to peer at a bluish green streak of essence floating around just at the right alleyway, not wasting any more time, she went down the road on her right, zipping past cars and trash cans that were in the way._

 

_Now at full speed, she was approximately just a few meters away from her target, which she noticed was staying at a place for quite some time now. However, along with it, she sensed the presence of magical energy._

 

_And it was spreading like wildfire._

 

_Which was true in itself as a fire did purge a huge part of the land that the girl was currently facing._

 

_In the middle off all that smoke and flame was a house—scratch that, a mansion. It looked like a very decent house to begin with, now it played a roll as a useless fuel for the fiery waves to feed on. It stood proudly even at its current state, but it won't hold on for much longer, she thought._

 

_Huffing out a breath, she muttered a low prayer for the inhabitants of this mansion, whoever they were. It was one of those times where she'd pity others who had undergone the pain at which she went through at that time when her own home was burned down to ashes._

 

_When her family was killed by the fire._

 

_And now, finally in front of her, the mysterious figure stood, hood covering most of its physique, but a part of its face clearly showed the sign of contentment as it smirked at what it had created._

 

_And it made the girl sick just by looking._

 

_So without any more leering, she plodded towards him, feet shuffling the patches of gray ashes that were along the way, "Oi", she called out with such a low tone that one could mistaken her as a man in a little girl’s body, threatening yet harmless, a sharp knife that won't go through any surface._

 

_Of course, her words caught the shadow's attention, head now tilting towards her, "Heh...," he sneered, clearly a man just from the hint of his jeer, smile widening as if it was almost about to form a smirk like no other. A crazy one at that._

 

_The hooded figure turned around, and it was at this time that the girl had noticed him closely. With his physical appearance, he most likely would be a man about a foot taller than her. He wore a black jacket with black slacks and a pair of black boots to go with it. Metal chains hung around his neck like a serpent, rings adorned his fingers and piercings were along his earlobe. His teeth looked fine and straight, but the image of perfection broke when one of his canine showed bluff as it was colored gold._

 

_The guy in the hood ducked his head a little, face now unreadable, "Look at what we have here... A wolf," he giggled, then straightened his head as his hand flew to his face to cover half of it in pure laughter, "Think you can catch me, little doggy? Or would you like to go in there and join the rest of them? Surely you can die peacefully now that your family is made history by my hands! Gehe~ Hiyahahahaha!", he laughed, cried out in ecstasy just how funny his words seemed to him, going as far as to clutch his stomach like it was in deep pain._

 

_But to his annoyance, the girl had this look on her face that had ignorance written all over it, "If you knew that my family was killed, then you're the only one who could've killed them."_

 

_"Smart thinking, lassie. How long did it take you to realize?", he mocked, shaking his head along with the surrendered raise of his hands, waving them frantically in front of her._

 

_The girl frowned, "About a second ago. But it doesn't matter. What I know is that if I can catch you, then this'll end your streak," she stated confidently, not even baiting his mockery._

 

_And this irked him._

 

_"Tch... weirdo... just who do you—?!", he stopped right as he was about to finish his sentence, but the strong explosion that eroded from the mansion interrupted him._

 

_His distraction was timely enough for her to zip past him and just by his side, arm raised and ready to strike, "I know you," she said, disappointed for a bit when she swung down her hand but only cut dust in half._

 

_The man was quite a distance away, having avoided her attack with a quick maneuver, "That so?", he snorted, then stood up straight with his mouth curved downwards._

 

_The girl harrumphed, then crossed her arms, "You're... Lucas's brother... right?"_

 

_For a moment there, a twitch came from the curve of his louth, but it was soon patched up by a weird and creepy smile, "Oh? So you do know me?"_

 

_"Your scent is very much the same. I can only assume that though. You're nothing like him," she stated in a matter of factly manner, making him huff in disagreement._

 

_"How would you know that? You barely even know him and yet you're here, assuming that I am nothing like my brother," he pushed, one leg now in front of the other as if he was provoking._

 

_The girl's mouth thinned out into a line, eyes unwavering, "A week is enough to know a person. He showed me a lot of his personality just from those seven days. I've a lot to describe him with if I will, but it might annoy you a little," she said._

 

_The hooded figure glared, "Oh? Annoy me, you say? How on earth am I going to be annoyed just because you know a lot about my brother?"_

 

_This time, the girl smirked for once, "Because it may look like I'm more of his sister than you are as his brother."_

 

_And those words seemed to have a hit a sore spot, ticking him off in the worst way possible._

 

_"What did you say?!"_

 

_The girl shook her head while clicking her tongue, provoking him even more, "Think about it, your brother was in isolation for more than half of his life. You were barely there when he was rotting somewhere, and I was with him for a week's worth of his life. Truthfully, I can say that he is somewhat a family of mine ‘cause he trusts me. If you were really that close to him—", she closed up their distance to a minimum of just a hand's length, eyes now directly at each other's comfort zones, "—shouldn't you be the first person that he'd go to in case of an emergency?"_

 

_The man's eyes widened, mouth open as an unrestrained gasp flew out, realization hitting him squarely in the face, "You...!", he hissed, fist raised and about to land a hit on the girl's face._

 

_If not for the wolf's quick reflexes which had her hand block the incoming punch._

 

_"You really should be careful with who you're dealing with," she muttered as the man leaped back a few paces to widen their gap, "Now that we're here, why don't we start with your sins, shall we?", she continued._

 

_The man gruntled, his once annoyed frown turning into a smug grin, "Heh. That is, if you can catch me!", he mocked, then raced forward, watching the girl raise her arms as a block._

 

_But he avoided her up front, and turned left just enough to avoid collision._

 

_Then he tapped her on the shoulder, smirking boisterously, "See ya later, champ!", he sneered, then disappeared at a hundred meter radius in sight._

 

_Sensing his aura no more, the girl sighed, quite disappointed in herself at unknowingly letting the man get away right under her nose, "What a pain. Now I have to start back from square one."_

 

_She was about to leave until she heard a faint cry of pain inside the complex. If it weren't for that, she would've been goners right now._

 

_Good thing for her incredible sensitivity._

 

_The girl rushed past the sea of flames, pace normal but her walk was aimless as she plodded with so much as a wavy pattern, movement clearly stating how she was dodging all of the path where fire was more likely to burn._

 

_A few moments had gone by, and when the girl finally got out of the wreckage of a mansion, she was man-handling a woman about a few inches taller than her with silky golden hair tied to a high ponytail with a blue hair tie, wearing clothes that were tattered and burnt, more so than the girl herself._

 

_The girl's mouth formed a thin line in thought, deciding to just drop the lady off somewhere like a hospital where she can get treated quickly, furious by how she only managed to rescue one woman._

 

_And left behind two others._

 

_Seeing as she was too late to save them, the girl walked away with guilt eating away at her insides, chewing out her guts as she contemplated on what she could've done if she had entered the mansion rather than provoking the arsonist himself._

 

_Unbeknownst to her though, a girl was looking at her from afar, eyes widened with tears practically sprawled all over her face like a mess, hand covering her mouth as she whimpered And mourned for the people that she lost._

 

_And anger for the one whom she had seen as the murderer._

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

"Back then, I'm sure I saw you carrying her to the hospital. My mind was full of spite at that time so I wasn't exactly thinking straight. I put the blame on you because you were the only one I saw at that time. But if you really did want to kill us, then how come you saved Eli?"

 

Nico was speechless, clearly not expecting the redhead to deduce such a reason without even knowing much of it in the first place.

 

So she never retorted back and just resorted to sighing, "Fine. I didn't set your house on fire. Happy now?", she uttered, dejected by how the redhead simply shrugged her off, unlike from how she treated her at their first meeting.

 

Maki smiled, genuinely happy at the outcome of their discussion, but she became serious not long after, "Not yet," she said, then stepped closer to the smaller girl, "I want to apologize for putting the blame on you. I'm sorry," she bowed.

 

The raven head rubbed the back of her head in frustration, "I still let your parents die, you know," she added.

 

"You weren't there on time," the redhead cut her off.

 

"I was right there, but I didn't save them just because I was busy distracting the arsonist," Nico pushed further.

 

"It wasn't your fault to begin with," Maki cut her off once more, now straightening her back as she was towering Nico like a giant.

 

They were on par with their glares, but Nico was the first to remove eye contact, "Sure, whatever," she waved off, satisfied with the outcome.

 

The amethyst-eyed girl smiled, then stuck out a hand, "Let's start fresh, okay?", she stated, eyes closed as her smile widened.

 

Nico frowned, but didn't complain. So she took the other girl's hand in her own, shaking them up and down with a tight grip, giving a goofy grin of her own, "Yeah, let's."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha! Well then, I suppose I can say that I’ve accomplished about three or more chapters with longer words. Most of them were short though, but this one is one of the longer ones. Haha, took me an effort to think this through. 
> 
> Thanks for the constant support even though this is my first.


	16. Episode 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a short introduction on their names, as per Nico’s request. But she does exhibit strange behavioral patterns and it may end up with her being emotionally unstable.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What’s up?! First day of November, and at the exact day of which I upload chapters! Kind of a rush hour really, since I’m pretty much not available in the afternoon so I’m making a quick update by noon.
> 
> And yes, I’m unstable myself which is why I depicted Nico to be the same. So in the end, she’s just doing my actions for me.
> 
> Well, better than updating at a later date, I’m giving you a chapter that’s probably one of the shortest so far, but I’ll handle it!

Two weeks had passed since their fateful meeting at the hospital. Rin and Hanayo were discharged a few days ago, but stayed a few nights before for check ups just in case. Honoka and Umi were both there to keep them company if ever they were to be examined, so they recovered quite quickly than expected.

 

Eli stayed at the hospital with Nozomi accompanying her at her room. The blonde had been re-examined for caution, but it took no less than a day so she was immediately free to go afterwards. However, she chose to stay as to wait for the others to be able to go home.

 

Nico was busy—well, more like the doctors were getting busy for her. Because of the results at the scanner, the hospital employees grew curious at her anatomy, and it didn’t take long for their curiosities to be fulfilled.

 

The raven head was not eager to accept their experiments on her body, but the glint in Maki’s eyes had her mind changed, for now.

 

So as of late, the redhead kept Nico as unconscious as ever, because the sedatives never seemed to work, she had her Spirit Animal do the work for her.

 

With hitting her in the head, harshly and without any restraint.

 

Kotori, being the one with the most crucial injury, was kept in the operating room for a long time, even during the past two weeks. Umi was getting quite worried, so were the others, but not like her untamable vexation for the ashen-haired girl.

 

Nozomi had her eye on Umi, pitying her and thanking her for her concern on her family. She was rather grateful for the bluenette because having her stay with them means that Kotori has someone who can look after her.

 

And it felt reassuring on her part.

 

So when the doctor announced that Kotori would be discharged tomorrow, the purple head was delighted, so were the others and most especially Umi.

 

So when the day of Kotori’s freedom came to be, the others were already gathered back at the cottage, sans Umi who was patiently waiting for the gray-haired girl to finally go back home.

 

At the living room, seven girls either stood and leaned their backs on the wall, or chose to sit down on the sofa. Either way, the atmosphere was rather heavy, awkward and incredibly quiet. No one dared to even bring up a topic, nor even think about doing it.

 

So after a few heavy moments and awkward sighs, Nico was the first to say a word.

 

“Why don’t you formally introduce yourselves now? I can care less about calling you with nicknames and you either get mad at me and just stick with it or ignore me and force me to call you with your names,” she spat straight to the point, earning weird glances from the others and a knowing smile from the purple-haired girl.

 

Nozomi giggles through a hand, opting to ignore the ebony-haired girl’s side glare, “Well, since it came to this, I suppose why not then,” she proposed, taking out a deck of tarot cards from her back pocket and carefully shuffling them. Once done, she took the top card and looked at it. With a smile on her face, she placed the card back and hid her deck behind her, “Anyways, I’m Toujou Nozomi! You can just call me Nozomi since we’re all family here so nice to meet you all!”, she uttered with such enthusiasm that it was rather hard for the others to not smile in return.

 

Honoka was next, eager to introduce herself more than anyone. So when Nozomi sat down, she immediately threw her arm up and stood from the couch, “Oh! Me next! Ahem!”, she cleared her throat like most of those who would strike up a conversation, “My name is Kousaka Honoka! I like bread! A lot! Tsubasa always gives me bread so it’s pretty much my favorite in the world! Oh, and Tsubasa is actually my g—?!”, before she can continue any further, Eli held her mouth and clogged it using her hand, completely taking her freedom of speech away.

 

“I think that’s enough for introductions for you,” Eli sweat dropped as she said all that, worrying for what Honoka might blurt out as she seemed to have no signs of ever stopping.

 

Maki reacted to this as well, since because she was also an acquaintance of the orange-haired girl from way back.

 

Hanayo fidgeted on her seat, uncomfortable by the auras that the others seem to exhibit. And because no one looked like they were going to introduce themselves next, she was willing to partake as the preceding one, “Uh-Uhm... My name is K-Koizumi Hanayo... uh... nice to meet you all!”, she greeted with a bow at the end, quite rushed really, and then glanced down on her lap and bore holes onto it.

 

Rin hugged her from behind, giving the unsuspecting Hanayo a fright of her life, but once she noticed that it was merely her childhood friend, she relaxed a bit. Her friend cleared her throat and then stood up with a salute, “I’m Hoshizora Rin nya! Nice to meet everyone here! Oh! Me and Kayo-chin are actually childhood friends so we go waaaaaaay back nya~! Like, really far away in the past!”, she shared, earning confused glances from the rest of the gang.

 

“Uh... who the heck is Kayo-chin???”, Nico scratched the back of her head in confusion, not really guessing the identity of this so-called “Kayo-chin” by the cat, as she would’ve said so.

 

The shorter-haired girl blinked twice before yelping a loud “nya” for unknown reasons, “I call Kayo-chin “Kayo-chin” because I want to call her by something that only I can call her with nya!”, was the audacious and vague response of the cat-like girl.

 

The ebony-haired girl sweat dropped, “That did not answer my question, you idiot!”, she whispered vehemently, gaining a glare from Maki who was being observant of Nico during the past two weeks, “What’s your problem?”

 

Maki became a blushing mess in an instant and quickly faced away, “N-Nothing! Just that you look like an idiot to me,” she hushed, but Nico still heard every word that came out from her mouth.

 

“Heh... Well then, why don’t you go next, Miss Tsundere?”, she teased with a matching smirk, extracting the exact prediction from the redhead in a matter of moments.

 

Maki faced her with a flustered face, “I am not a tsundere!”, she exclaimed, then crossed her arms as she looked away, “Anyway, I’m Nishikino Maki. There you have it,” she muttered, a bit embarrassed.

 

“Err...,” Eli wanted to go next, but she’s not so sure if she should start up the introductions again because the atmosphere became a bit too tense for her liking.

 

But she did it anyway.

 

“I’m Ayase Eli. Maki and I knew each other for years now, so we basically treat each other like family. And...,” she scratched her cheek a bit timidly, cheeks tainted with a light red hue, “I am... a friend of Nozomi’s as well, when we were kids,” she admitted albeit a bit bashful.

 

Nico, Hanayo, And Maki’s ears perked up at the newest information, of course since the latter two were like a family to them, and for unknown reasons as to Nico’s surprise about this, “Who knew you two were actually a married couple already. Even I didn’t see that coming!”, the ebony-haired girl confessed, brows raised in question and exclamation.

 

Nozomi agreed to her comment on their relationship from way back with a hum, “Yeah, even I was surprised about that. I actually forgot about Elicchi until I saw her just about a few weeks ago, I couldn’t even recognize her because of her well developed body,” she teased, sending waves of blushes to run across Eli’s face like a marathon was ongoing.

 

“N-Nozomi!”, the blonde forced out in bashfulness, earning a snicker and a giggle from Nozomi, and a gag from Nico. “Get a room,” She dabbed, sending glares from across the room to the two targets, where one of them gave back a sneaky grin and the other had her face covered by her hands in shame.

 

Honoka then raised her hand at a quick pace, “Ne, Nico-chan! Why don’t you go next? You’re the only one who didn’t give your intro!”, she said.

 

Contrast to her enthusiasm, Nico had an annoyed expression on her face, back slumped, “Ugh... do I have to? I mean, I’m already popular. What’s the big deal? Everyone here knows me already, right?”

 

Rin raised her hand in protest, “I don’t know who you are nya!”, she commented.

 

The ebony-haired girl’s eye twitched, “I don’t care, kitty cat. But I’ll do it anyway, for your sake,” she continued, wanting to pretend that she never heard a snicker from the redhead next to her, “I’m Yazawa Nico! Call me whatever you want, as long as it’s appropriate—”

 

“Can I call you Nicocchi?”, Nozomi intercepted, making Nico shoot up a snarl at her.

 

“You already started calling me that. What’s the use of asking?!”, the raven head pointed accusingly at the purple-haired girl.

 

Nozomi shrugged, “Just asking,” She nonchalantly waved back.

 

Nico growled but never bickered back, “Anyway, if you don’t know already, I’m the Government’s so-called Project 001, or known as the Lone Savage by others—”

 

“Do people really taste good nya?”, Rin asked out loud all of a sudden, with Honoka perking up at her questioning as she was also eager to learn.

 

“Yeah! I’ve been wondering about that too! So? Do they? Do they?”, the two orange heads chorused the two latter questions, for the sake of their curiosity.

 

And unwillingly for the sake of getting Nico angry.

 

“What the hell?! You think I eat people?!”

 

“Well, most of the time, everyone says so...,” Honoka ignorantly blurted out loud without any thought, so it was rather hard to be mad at her.

 

“And I only hear about you from rumors and news on TV nya...,” Rin followed up Honoka’s statement.

 

True to their word, almost all of the information given to the citizens were rumors and opinions, so most likely Nico’s character profile would be filled with uncertainties.

 

And since Nico knew none of this, she blew up fuse, “Well, now you know that I don’t eat people. I mean, if I will, all of you wouldn’t be here right now! And stop cutting me off!”, the ebony-haired girl huffed out a heavy sigh, rubbing the side of her head with much vigor as a frustrated person.

 

Eli nodded at her words as if she had confirmed something, “You have a point there. I suppose the rumors of you going wild and mauling tons of people can be classified as false. Clearly the signification of your actions show that you are nothing like what the gossips speak of,” the blonde thought aloud, wanting to speak of her opinion on the matter.

 

And for the first time today, Nozomi had this complicated and serious face as an expression, “Perhaps it was a necessity made by the Government to give false alarms about you to the public. If their motive was to capture you, I suppose it makes it easier to have you be an enemy in the eyes of the townspeople for more validity of your apprehension,” she picked up where Eli left off, hand supporting her head as she was deep in thought.

 

Maki nodded, acknowledging their brief viewpoint of the matter, and gave her own point of view, “Then again, it’s already weird to have a wandering beast lurking around the wilderness, so it’s not hard to get the people to unite with their plot,” then, she stopped talking as her face changed. Her eyes now widened, as if something came up in her head, “But...”

 

The others looked at her with a confused gaze, “But... what?”, Hanayo wondered, asking about what Maki was onto.

 

The redhead bit the inside of her cheek, thinking if she should just tell them or keep it to herself for the time being.

 

She chose the former.

 

“I heard from my parents that the Government no longer needed her right after the Magician took her away from the laboratory. Their loss was blessed by the magic which the Magician left. And they had sufficed with just that. If they were already satisfied by that, how come they went out of their way just to get their hands on her?”, she eyed Nico with the gaze of a judge, getting the black-haired girl uncomfortable all of a sudden.

 

“Maybe she stole something from them?”, Rin supposed absentmindedly, though half of it was from assumption.

 

Nico jeered, “The heck? What would I steal from those weirdos? And even if I did take something from them, I wouldn’t have been successful since they’ve minimized my movements to null,” she justified, clearing her name from Rin’s suspicion.

 

“You may be on their wanted list as a “threat to their plans” or the like,” Maki shrugged, making the raven-haired girl leer at her sharply.

 

“If they wanted my head on their bounty list, wouldn’t their priority be to kill me? If you haven’t been listening to that old woman from way back, she clearly said to ‘capture’ me and not ‘take my head back with her’”, Nico reasoned, crossing out yet another theory.

 

“Maybe you ticked them off somehow,” Nozomi half teased and half stated, further aggravating the already furious black-haired girl.

 

“Oi! I’m supposed to be ticked off with them, not the other way around!”

 

“Maybe they want something that you have?”, Honoka wondered aloud, earning stares from the others.

 

“What could this pipsqueak possibly have that the Government would go high and low for?”, Maki inserted, daring to agitate Nico.

 

For various reasons. And one of them was to get her attention.

 

And with Nico being Nico, she caught the bait.

 

“Hey! Everyone likes me, so of course the Government can’t be that far off!”, the twin-tailed girl boasted, smirking with all of her pride and glory at how popular she thinks she is.

 

If by sense her popularity was concluded from the alertness of everyone from her ambitious other self, then it was a fact.

 

Nozomi perked up, eyes widening at a thought, “Wait!”

 

Eli looked at her, surprised, “What’s wrong? Did you think of something?”, she asked.

 

The purple-haired girl gazed at Nico in a serious manner, “If by chance you do have something that the Government wanted, would you happen to know of anything?”

 

“Hah? Something that they want from me... oh,” Nico realized, then pointed at her head, “You mean they want this?”

 

“I thought you already said that they never wanted to kill you,” Maki stated, making Nico glare at her.

 

“No, you idiot! I’m talking about what’s inside my head!”

 

“Your brain nya?”, asked Rin.

 

“You think I’ll live without a brain?!”

 

“Maybe you know something?”, asked Hanayo.

 

“I don’t specialize in memorization. And for one thing, I easily forget things. They won’t rely on my knowledge,” she growled when she heard a snicker and a low ‘Good thing you know’ from the redhead, which flipped a switched on her body to make her get even heated up on this conversation.

 

“Maybe you stole food from them?”, enthusiastically concluded by Honoka, which was rejected as soon as it was said.

 

“And here I thought that for once, you would’ve thought of something brilliant and smart,” Nico disappointedly sighed, so did the others, except Hanayo, who supported her with a pat on the back.

 

A huff of frustration came from Eli, who had her head hung low, “Just get to the point,” she supported the weight of her head on her palm, eyeing Nico with a sober look.

 

A light scratch on her cheek made the others think that maybe Nico might not be as numb as she say she is.

 

Probably...

 

“Well, it’s not something that can be easily explained, but...,” the black-haired girl once again pointed at her head with her index finger, “Actually, when the Magician shooed me away before—”

 

“‘Shooed’ you away?”, laughed the two orange heads, but Nico chose to ignore their remarks.

 

Either that or her face just didn’t show how much she was annoyed by them.

 

“—Anyway! Before he shooed me away, he left a book inside my head, saying stuff like I’m the only one who can take care of this for him until he picks it up from me—”

 

“It’s quite unusual that you’re not smart when ironically, you have a book inside your head the whole time,” Maki snickered, arms crossed.

 

But Nico was crossed with her even more so.

 

“—As I was saying, when—”

 

“Wait, did you say a book?”, Nozomi brought up Nico’s words on a whim, cutting the raven head off once again.

 

And in a few silent moments, Nico grumbled, slumped down onto the ground and wailed onto her palms like a sulking monkey who never got to eat its banana, “I give up. You guys continue,” she mewled meekly, then fell into a depressed state.

 

“Aww, is Nicocchi sad because we keep on cutting her off before she can finish her sentence?”, Nozomi teased, but it made no changes to Nico’s current mood.

 

Still as a rock, the ebony-haired girl withstood her position without as much as a twitch.

 

Maki sighed, “Stop acting like a kid already,” she flippantly ruffled her hair in a way that it looked like she was nonchalant with her words, but in actuality she was feeling different at the way that Nico’s acting.

 

She looked like she was asleep, noise were muted so much that not even a rustle was heard, no words came from her mouth, nothing.

 

Just nothing.

 

All except for that one slip of a voice that made all of the others’ hairs rise from the tip to the end.

 

“They’re coming.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m having a hard time finding ohut what each of their personalities really are since I’m not used to writing a lot of people talking to each other at a time. It may look dizzying but trust me, I’m having a hard time understanding myself. Hahahahah! 
> 
> A bit of a cliff hanger by the end won’t hurt anyone, especially at this chapter which seems like a slice of life than action. So we’ll catch up on that next week! Or less if I’m in the mood. 
> 
> Ciao~


	17. Episode 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kotori was finally discharged so Umi decided to be her guardian back at the cottage. But were they the ones Nico was mumbling about?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeey! I know I’m a day late in updating but I’m frustrated. Hahaha! You know the feeling when you’re writing a chapter and it feels like it’s already long? And then realize that it’s actually short when you read it! This is one of those chapters apparently, but I have no choice than to put it up. I guess I’d have to ask that you all be patient about my work. I have an upcoming chater that’s at least more than 5k words at most and I dunno if I should end it or not! 
> 
> Anyways, enough blabbering. Let’s get this started! Even though it’s short!

"Who's coming?", Hanayo managed to speak, though her fidgety hands said otherwise of her confidence.

 

Seeing as Nico showed no signs of ever responding back, Eli took this as her cue to take a peek outside. To justify the raven head's words.

 

And, indeed, she did see two figures walking towards them. Just to be clear, only one of them was walking. The other was being pushed by the figure behind it as it sat on a wheelchair immobilized.

 

The blonde squinted her eyes a bit, checking if what she was gazing at right now is not just some mere illusion. Making sure that she had definitely saw a blue-haired girl strutting towards them, she shuffled back onto the living room and said, "Umi's here, along with Kotori."

 

Honoka jumped for joy almost automatically, then rushed past them in the blink of an eye without as much as a word.

 

"Umi-chaaaaaaan! Kotori-chaaaaaaan!", she wailed all the while speeding towards the figures from afar, arms raised in the air as she waved it, hoping that Umi would notice her going straight towards them.

 

Which she did, not because she saw, but because she heard the familiar boisterous pitch of her childhood friend.

 

Umi couldn't help but put a smile on her face as she looked at the orange-haired girl heading straight for them, then gazed back down onto the girl who was sitting on the wheelchair, "Kotori, we're almost there," she spoke in a low tone, hoping not to disturb the other girl.

 

The ashen-haired girl giggled, not loudly but just a soft laugh hidden behind her palm, "I can see the cottage from here, and Honoka coming towards us," she said in a raspy tone, probably because she wasn't hydrated as much in the past two weeks.

 

She heard the bluenette sigh behind her, tightening her grip on the wheelchair and pushed even faster that before, "I always wonder if she ever gets tired."

 

"She's just full of energy, I guess," the gray-haired girl sweat dropped, causing Umi to slump down once again in disbelief.

 

"I can't really deny that even if I wanted to..."

 

Her negative mood was brought back up when she heard a soft giggle form the girl on the wheelchair. The way Kotori chuckled had Umi's knees go jelly and weak. Even the rays from the sun enhanced whatever features the gray-haired girl had in her.

 

And the bluenette couldn't help but fall in love with her.

 

'L-Love?!', Umi thought shyly, head hung low in bashfulness as steam practically escaped from her ears as the tips of them were bright red.

 

But she freshened up, and returned back to normal, when Honoka leaped for joy and crash landed on top of her, causing her to let go of her grip on Kotori's wheelchair.

 

Umi grunted in pain, but couldn't stay mad at the slightly brown-haired energetic teen.

 

Although she'd be glad to play the part.

 

"Honoka... get off me," she pushed Honoka off of her and had her standing up, then had her help in lifting her off the ground, "And please don't be so loud. Kotori just left the hospital."

 

Honoka pouted at her scolding, "Hai...," she said, then turned around to face Kotori with a smile on her face, "Ne ne, Kotori-chan! Let me push your wheelchair!", and even without the girl's permission, the orange-haired girl took hold of the bipedal chair.

 

Kotori couldn't help but just agree to her since she's already at it anyway, "Okay. But just slowly—Hiyaaaaaaaaa!!!", the ashen-haired girl tightened her grip on the handles of the two-wheeled seat as Honoka sped up with as much vigor as she had been showing.

 

Umi's eyes widened as she stretched her arm out in protest, "Honoka, wait!", but she was too late as they have already been halfway towards the cottage, and she could only sigh in defeat, "I guess there's no stopping her now..."

 

"Cheer up, Umi. I'm sure Kotori will be fine," Eli, who had arrived to help, only patted her hand on the bluenette's back pitifully.

 

Umi gulped down a huge lump on her throat, "I just hope so. If we have to bring Kotori back to the hospital, she won't be alone, I can assure that," she darkly muttered, leaving Eli with a shiver crawling down her spine.

 

Back at the house, Rin heard Honoka's cry of joy as she pushed Kotori, who was holding the arm of the chair for dear life as tears slowly threatened to form on the edge of her eyes.

 

"Yoshi! Let's fly, Kotori-chan!", the short-haired girl heard the slightly older girl yell as she ran faster, at least double the speed from before.

 

"S-S-Slow D-Down! H-Honoka!!!", Kotori wailed, eyes widened when the wheels tripped over a rock, causing it to actually levitate over the ground.

 

But only for a few good seconds.

 

Then after that, the two fell with a distressing thud, the sound of the wheels turning still audible.

 

Maki's eyes widened when she saw this, then she stepped out of the house, "Honoka! Watch where you're going! Do you want Kotori to go back to the hospital? Unless you wanted her to...!", she exploded, her face red from anger.

 

Groaning from the fall, Honoka rubbed her sore forehead, then pouting, "I didn't mean to...," she whined, whimpering as she had realized what she had done.

 

But she wasn't afraid of Maki's outburst. It was Umi who she was scared of.

 

Because just now, a tall figure was standing above her, looking down on her, towering and frightful, "Ho-no-ka! What have I told you about being reckless?!", she scolded, causing the orange head to cowardly shiver in fear.

 

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to!"

 

Eli let out a long exhalation, generously rubbing the back of her neck and noting the tension of the room. Quite unusual since she was bathed in nothing but love and kindness from her previous family, how come this one makes everything more complicated each day?

 

She'll never know this, and she never intended to pry about it.

 

But she did take a quick look back at Nico, who was enduring her position since earlier like a sleeping giant, not even bothered by the cramping fold she had her body stay as.

 

Sighing once again, the blonde moved closer to check on her, slightly tapping on her shoulder, but got no response whatsoever, "Hey, Nico. Kotori's here. There's no need to be so gloomy about this...," she pleaded, now in the process of shaking the shorter girl's figure.

 

No use, she was as stiff as a board.

 

Nozomi came in to check her out as well, now looming over Nico with a frown on her face, "Hmm... I thought for sure that she meant Umi and Kotori...," she mumbled, but intended for Eli to hear.

 

Which she did.

 

"What do you mean?", the blonde obliviously asked, scrunching up her eyes and knitting her brows together in confusion.

 

The purple-haired girl placed a hand on her face, face stoic, "Nico said that they're coming... For sure I thought she meant Umi and Kotori... but now..."

 

She then glanced at the two behind her, frown deepening, "I'm not so sure...," she finished.

 

Eli let her words sink into her brain, processing her words in her mind. 'Nozomi getting all worked up on something means a lot more than just what's on the outside...,' she weighed her head on her index finger and thumb, rubbing her pointer on her chin in thought, 'She deducted something and it looks serious enough for her to get all sober.'

 

"What's on your mind, Nozomi?", the foreigner finally chanced up on asking, now trying to get on with the ride.

 

Nozomi's brows furrowed, finger tapping onto her chin delicately, "It seems like Nico's got a lead," then she smirked ever so suddenly without any word, a silent mischievous grin playfully creeping its way on her face.

 

Eli gulped down a chunk of saliva in anticipation, and in fear of what her childhood friend may be up to.

 

'Something good and nothing bad, I hope,' she prayed, seeing as she had seen first hand what Nozomi may do whenever she's in a mood for any mischief.

 

Before Nozomi could reply, Nico squirmed on her position, gaining the attention of the two.

 

"It reeks...," she mumbled.

 

But thanking Nozomi's tanuki, and Eli's Spirit Animal in a sense, they both heard her words. And it had them face her with glaring eyes.

 

"Reeks, you say?", Nozomi giggled, hands in the air with her fingers waggling along as she had this face that clearly said 'You repeat that and I'll do something you'll definitely regret.'

 

But unlike her reaction to the black-haired girl's words, the blonde just tilted her head to the side with closed eyes and a tight lip, "Reeks...? But I don't—?!", she then perked up.

 

'Something's amiss,' she thought. Then all of a sudden, she summoned her Spirit Animal for the first time, not her first but the others.

 

A blue summoning ring appeared behind the blonde, not horizontal but vertical and millimeters close to Eli's back. Slowly, vines and vectors stretched from the edge to the center, not straight but increasing with each expansion.

 

Once reaching the point at the center, cracks formed on the vacant areas, like it was a see through mirror. A light blue glow started from the focus to the edges, spreading like wildfire. Then the whole circle itself was engulfed in fluorescence, reacting to the energy that Eli was producing.

 

After that, the magic ring retracted from Eli's back and lifted itself off to the ceiling. Raining energy down like a heavy storm, a bright glow illuminated and composed a figure. It formed a snout, then a bushy tail and four legs, lean and firm. Then the body, with ears short and pointed. The light weakened and revealed pure white fur, as white as snow, slick and spiky. Blue orbs leered, stretching its front legs, then proceeding with the back. Shrugging its body, the now formed animal leaned onto the blonde's touch, rubbing its head affectionately on her palm.

 

Eli giggled at its cute demeanor, but got serious a few seconds after, "Okay, I think I can detect something now...," she mumbled, completely ignoring the looks of awe that the others gave off in astonishment.

 

She had a Spirit Animal in the form of a fox.

 

"Spoken like a true calculating fox," Nozomi commented on the side, making Eli blush just a little.

 

The blue-eyed foreigner heaved out a sigh to calm her nerves, now concentrating on picking up the scent that Nico deemed as smelly, or reeks in her words.

 

And she did come across a whiff. But it wasn't something that reeks of bad odor.

 

More like, it reeked of magic.

 

"Wait, I know that scent!", Eli's eyes widened at the conclusion as to who Nico had found out about.

 

Just after her remarks, Umi's ears perked up, "I hear something coming... and it's getting closer," she uttered.

 

"Yeah, I her something too nya!", Rin agreed, seemingly being able to pick up the noise that Umi kept track of.

 

"Now's kind of a bad time to face him, don't you think?", Maki had a feeling, and it wasn't good. Not totally bad, but unnerving, that's for sure.

 

Since most of them knew who this uninvited guest was, almost all of them were nervous.

 

Except Nico.

 

"Tch... And yet here we are, being surrounded by his stinking magic. For crying out loud, I need at least a year of peace from him," the black-haired teen muttered vehemently, spatting her words like they spelled danger.

 

Unknowingly, the one being bad-mouthed was just behind them, and Nico lazily glanced back with a piercing bloody gaze, widening when claps began to echo across the room.

 

"Well, well. If it isn't my favorite experiment. How are you coping up to this unstable world, my precious project?", a slick voice behind the shadows of the dark corner spoke, the sound of heels clicking onto the floor made its way to everyone's ears. Most of the hair on their bodies stood up at the sight of the man, who may or may not be their enemy.

 

Maki clicked her tongue, eyes fraying from a straight gaze, "Aleister...!", she hissed, clutching onto the hem of her shirt tightly in hopes of preventing her anger from taking control of her nerves.

 

The man, Aleister, harrumphed, rubbing his chin with a hand. His shaggy brown hair drooped down onto his face, hazel eyes steeled and dead. The detectable expensive suit went noticed, ironed and perfect in every way. Flawless. Even the shiny watch on his wrist was attracting.

 

"Ah! My dear Maki. Good to see you, but I'm afraid I'll be taking your head off with me," that laidback tone of his contrasted his words as it brushed a streak of fear in the redhead's heart.

 

Nozomi raised her purple gun, pointing it straight towards the man's forehead, readying its load with a click, "I'm sorry to hear that. Maki's here to stay, and so will her head," she recoiled, a smirk playfully forming on her face.

 

The white fox which Eli appears to command skipped in front, now face to face with this Aleister, the blonde following in suite, "I don't know what you intend to do while you remain on their grounds, but I won't let you get away with hurting at least one of us," she warned, her Spirit Animal growling as well.

 

The man in front of them stood unmoving, but in a few seconds, his shoulders shivered, clearly a sigh of laughter. He chuckled malevolently, now facing them with a facade too good to be caught, "Oh, but I will. After all, none of you are competent enough to even outmatch me. But I can give you a demonstration as to what I am capable of."

 

A clash of fists had everyone's attention on Nico, who had this look that was in sync with her words.

 

"I'm all fired up!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whooooo~ finally, exams are finished so I’m free! Bad thing is, I have another batch of exams about two weeks from now. And it’s not looking good for us. Hahahaha! 
> 
> Sooooooooo, I’m not someone who likes to make jokes, but I may be feeling that my stories are a bit... you know, made by a child? I mean, I’m still young, I’m not even an adult! Nor am I in college. But I try. Hahahahah!
> 
> See you next time~


	18. Episode 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The arrival of a man named Aleister put everyone on the edges, with the exception of Nico who seem to stand up to him on even terms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yooooooooooo! So I managed to update with another chapter early because our classes were cut off short. I’m free, but still lazy. This may have less effort but I kept up with the sched so.... as you can see, it’s a bit......... well, you get it.
> 
> Anywho, that’s gonna leave me less people to manage.

"Good to see you doing well, Yazawa," Aleister chuckled as he spoke his words, tone either disturbing or just plain insulting.

 

But Nico caught none of that and, instead, retorted an insult of her own, "Heh, I always look good, mind you. What about you? You look old! I have to admit, though, those wrinkles kinda suit you, in a way that's pretty much freaky!", she spat, folding her arms in front of her with her face splitting into a shit-eating grin.

 

The man hummed, quite content with the ebony-haired girl's unmannered response, "You've yet to change that attitude of yours, I'm still wondering if our lively experiment on you had even happened," he stated, walking towards her with an even pace that had authority all over his steps, "But I must say—"

 

He ducked, face to face with Nico, forehead clashed with one another with a bump that sounded more painful than in visual, mouth wide in the form of a creepy smirk, "—I like your straightforwardness. Reminds me of the man who betrayed the world for the sole purpose of ultimate supremacy."

 

Nico narrowed her eyes but kept the cat grin, "Oh? Is that what you think? Cause to me, the only one here who wants to rule the world—," she pointed her index finger directly at the man's chest, a slight push when seen but to Aleister, it was like a storm had hit him squarely on the thorax, "—is you."

 

For a moment, everything was quiet, the sense of serenity blew amidst the heavy atmosphere of the cottage. But the silence broke at the touch of the man who had giggled in a fit of rage, face contorted in anger, red and veined.

 

Aleister laughed, cackled, showing no signs of stopping his fit as he proceeded to clutch his hand onto his face in a weak attempt to shield his vision from the cause of his amusement.

 

"I admit, you have become smarter throughout the years at which you have escaped our clutches," he stopped  all movements altogether, hand slowly dropping down onto his side limply, head thrown upward as the others could only distinguish his face with a red pupil seemingly coming from his sclera, "But your ignorance is yet to be cured, I'm afraid."

 

"Ho ho! Whoa there! I may be ignorant, but the least I can do is to reject your miserable life. You do know what I mean, right?", Nico accepted his challenging gaze, now on the tip of her toes with just glaring at each other.

 

A choke came from Aleister's throat, presumably from being underhandedly offended, but he showed no further offense to that as he cleared his maw, "Hmm... To call you having an attitude no less of a commoner's would be uncivilized, so I took it upon myself to formally address you as that of an ignorant fool," he followed suit with a step forward, arm bent in front of him to form some kind of boundary between their extreme closeness to one another, "For now, you will have but no choice other than to obey my proposition of being an incompetent slave to my priorities. To the eyes of civilization, you are a hostile refugee. I assume it'll be easier for me to persuade your privilege of ever swaying from my orders by such circumstances, seeing as you no longer have the right to claim your leverage over my position as dictator of the highest ranking order in the world."

 

Nico stood, actually silent for a moment before heaving out a sigh and rubbing her hands onto the back of her neck harshly in irritation, "You know what? Half of what you just said were given to deaf ears. This is what I don't like about you, you give speeches like that to me everyday when I was still your experiment and whatnot, and it gave my gears on the head some turmoil, you get me?", she shook her head at her point on the man's choice of words.

 

"I felt quite insulted, Project 001. Though I must say, it is a poignant attempt to be able to project such unappreciative altercation from you. A noble effort indeed," Aleister clapped his hands, contracting his face which showed apathy and the like.

 

Nico grumbled, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose, "Look, whatever you came here for, make it quick. And like you said, you're only here for Maki's head yeah? How come you've brought your horde of political nonsense with you? It's not necessary, ever," she lamented, raising one brow when the response she had received was a chuckle.

 

"Ah, yes. It seems to me that my objective today was overshadowed by your, per se, ostentation. So kindly move out of my way," the shaggy-haired man swayed his hand like a cut heading straight to Nico.

 

But she didn't get any damage.

 

Instead, a very sticky red ring had her stuck on the ground with a mighty grip on the earth and grass, making her squirm under its hook.

 

Subsequently, four more rings appeared from the original, which had its hold on Nico's stomach. The remaining smaller versions of the circle proceeded with hindering her pedals by attaching themselves to the ground with Nico's limbs under its gravitational bind.

 

The ebony-haired girl gritted her teeth in annoyance, trying to break free from the man's mysteriously powerful binding magic, "Urgh—Hey! Get these things off of me! Tch!", she writhed in accordance with her will to break loose, but to no avail.

 

Aleister laughed at her attempts without even giving as much as a single glance at her wake, instead keeping his body straight with a focused gaze in front.

 

"Now then, let us continue with our discussion earlier," he grabbed a thorny red rose from her coat pocket, how he had yet to receive a single prick from the thorns they never knew, "Where were we? Ah, yes. Nishikino Maki," he exclaimed while stepping forward, "I shall behead you with precision like no other. A quick death, if I do say so myself, with elegance and grace."

 

Maki frowned, however, as she gave him an accusing stare, "I don't need you to do that. I'm quite content with dying of old age, thank you very much," she retorted, confused when she heard giggles coming out of the binded twin-tailed girl.

 

"Well said! I guess you don't need my guidance anymore. My kid is practically an adult by now!", Nico got into a fit of cackles, giving Maki a chance to return to her normal stubborn self for a split second.

 

"I've never needed you guidance. And just so you know, you look and act more like a kid, even though you're supposed to be older than me," the redhead opposed, frowning when all she got was more giggles from her conversationalist.

 

"I don't think this is the time to be quarreling, you two," Eli deadpanned, with Nozomi just smiling at the two's antics even at a moment such as now.

 

Aleister grunted in annoyance, "How unprofitable. For you to ignore me is a disgusting way of setting up a war. You dare show your true colors in front of me, the most respected man in the world, just to clear up your fouls with this naive monster," he roared in anger, fist tightening with as much force needed to have it turn white.

 

Though he showed restraint when he heard the sound of a booming gunshot, which came from Nozomi, who was undoubtedly the only one carrying a gun at the moment, "I may have to wonder who's the real monster right now though. Shouldn't you be having second thoughts?", the green-eyed girl chuckled with closed eyes, malevolence seeping through her once she pointed the gun straight towards the man.

 

"Hmm... you made quite a scene there, young lady. I suppose I can only repent for it in return," he took out a black gun from under his tux, also aiming at Nozomi's head.

 

However, he lost all his composure when he saw that the low twin-tailed girl showed a creepy yet teasing smile, "Oh? And here I though you were only here from Maki-chan's head. Maybe you should be more careful with what you say—"

 

She never got to finish her sentence when a shot was heard, the bullet from the man's gun heading right towards Nozomi's forehead at breakneck speed.

 

"Nozomi!", Eli, just in the nick of time, managed to deflect the bullet with the help of her Spirit Animal, whom had swished its tail to maneuver the direction of the tiny projectile.

 

Nozomi shot her gun as well, but Aleister evaded it with a swift sidestep to the right. The ammunition, however, was headed straight for Nico.

 

Who was, unfortunately, tied to the ground with no means of ever escaping.

 

The black-haired girl gulped, then gritted her teeth in recognition of the bullet's path. She moved her head, now directly at the line at which the pellet was going to.

 

The others' eyes widened at her sudden movement, the fact that she had just made herself one step closer to death's door at such a crucial moment.

 

What they didn't know was that it was what Nico wanted, and that her only solution to this problem was:

 

Catch the bullet using her teeth.

 

And she did, and it looked like it was from a movie in every angle.

 

The only killjoy at that time was the horrible sound of something hard breaking.

 

And no, it was not the bullet. Feel free to guess.

 

"Ooh, that has got to hurt nya!", Rin commented on the side, eye wincing at the mere sight of it.

 

Maki sighed, crossing her arms in disappointment, "I can't believe how reckless you actually are. You could've kicked it away with your boots, or blew it away with a strong huff. You are a wolf, remember?"

 

"Ptui—bleh! Well, how else am I supposed to react that time? It was sudden, for goodness' sake!", even with the... unbalanced number of perfectly fine teeth, Nico managed to cry out despite the pain, ever so diligent with her attitude than her injury.

 

And just by looking at it had Aleister closing his eyes in disgust, "Irrelevant. If only the Magician himself knew that the person he trusted the most was an imbecile like you, he would never have entrusted you with that book," he moaned sorrowfully while shaking his head.

 

Nico glared at him for that, "At least he trusted me more than he even had faith in you," she spat, hitting a soft spot on the man.

 

An imaginary tick mark showed on the man's forehead, and the only one who could've noticed that was Nico, who was enjoying most of her time trying to get into the man's nerves, "I had just about enough with you. Why, pray tell, won't you just stay down for a mere minute and let me partake my mission in success with the recognition of peace?!", Aleister, however uncharacteristically it is, shouted, face red in anger as he proceeded to shoot more bullets from his gun towards Nico.

 

Poor girl, not only was her teeth destruct from just one bullet, she also had to do it again, but multiple times, "So much for taking care of my teeth," she mulled over before catching the first incoming pellet.

 

But before she could hear the strange clanking sound produced by clashing her teeth with the bullet, a flash of white and blue pushed away the ammo, then more of those preceded and hit the others the same way.

 

From the looks of things, it was Eli who threw those strange balls of light, what with how her hand was outstretched. The tail of her snow white fox was standing upright, a wisp floating just above the tip. The same way that Nico's wolf has a ball of fire following its movement.

 

The tied up girl hummed in acknowledgement, forgetting the trouble she was about to get in if it weren't for the blonde's intervention, "Nice one! It's kind of weird to have someone with the same technique as mine, but it's a great thing to know!", she would've given a thumbs up if her hands weren't stuck to the ground, so she stuck out her tongue instead.

 

'Quite an unusual way to replace a compliment...,' Eli deadpanned for the second time in a row, not sure whether to get serious because of the situation or to laugh awkwardly because of Nico's innovative punchlines.

 

Nevertheless, Nico smiled at the blonde, showing great respect for her. She just knew her for a few weeks yet she had never felt so proud about her.

 

By never, well, technically for the first time never.

 

"What other stuff can you do, Eli? I bet you can do better than... that...," the ebony-haired girl stopped for a moment, then slowly peeked behind her, sensing a strangely dark aura.

 

She shivered when she saw someone unexpected to have such negative emotions. But she guessed that never judge a book by its cover is a good way to describe what she felt.

 

"Kotori...?", she hushed, quite unsure whether to call out her name to snap her out of her trance.

 

Or maybe at least try to, because she was already in the process of standing up, no difficulty observed on her movement. Then she slowly stepped forward, then another step, and more came afterwards. Halting when she stopped at her destination.

 

Directly in front of Aleister.

 

"Kotori?", Umi asked out loud, clueless as to why Kotori would suddenly go face to face with the man whom had just declared to take their friend's head.

 

Ang also why she looked fine even with her injured back, which was healed but not completely.

 

Aleister shrinked his eyes, eyeing the gray-haired girl with a towering gaze, "Pardon me, but do I know you?", he menacingly spoke, quite annoyed when someone had the nerve to stand in front of him without as much as a single word.

 

But actions do speak louder than words, yes?

 

Because at that time, Kotori gave him the most painful kick in the gut. And none from his past injuries gave him quite a problem to handle.

 

Because he was pushed until he hit a tree. Then another as the first fell. Then another. And more. And it went until he was a tree away from stepping onto solid cement of the sidewalk.

 

And before he could recover, he was kicked by Kotori, who mysteriously appeared behind him, on the back, which let out a cry of pain from his normally shut lips. And the shockwave of strength sent him back to the cottage, though he hit none. Just rolling onto the ground and patches of grass, which he even managed to grovel at the attempt on stopping his flight.

 

The others grew silent at what just happened. Because as much as they would have liked to stare at Aleister's current beat up state, they chose to gaze at Kotori.

 

Pure, kind Kotori, who at the moment looked like the devil disguised as an innocent girl.

 

Kotori who had this maniacal smile placed on her face.

 

Kotori who's right eye turned a dangerous shade of red.

 

Kotori who looked like she was enjoying the intent of killing.

 

And she, unlike Nico, wasn't kidding around with her intentions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay... what do you think? It’s not really long but it has a lot going on. The next one is a bit longer, and then the one I’m currently working on is reaching about 5k words so... I dunno how to finish it but I’ll work it out.
> 
> So how do you describe Aleister? He’s not my typical villain, but I’m deflated of ideas so I’m not being picky. Hahaha!
> 
> Thanks for the comments! I’m not really the social type so I don’t reply much, but I reaaaaaally like to. Just that I’m kind of in the middle of overcoming my shyness. So to the one who told that my story was good, well... I’m really happy about it. Hehe~
> 
> See you next time!


	19. Episode 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hearing Aleister speak of the truth about Kotori’s parents, she became dark and shrouded with nothing but anger. Not being able to contain it anymore, she unleashes her anger at goes on a rampage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! So, another one of those longer chapters that I’m proud of! But the content seems... well, a bit out of my comfort zone so it might not be to your liking. But I did my best so it’s more than enough for me.
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!

"I see...," Aleister picked himself up, albeit wobbly, then dusted the patches of grass and dirt from his clothes like nothing had ever happened, then twirling around to face the girl who had done too much damage to ignore, "You are... the daughter of the Minami's, I presume?"

 

Said girl appeared before them at blinding speed, like teleportation but with the wind following behind her as she went, "Mm...," Kotori didn't utter a word, opting to just hum in accordance with his question as she closed her eyes.

 

The other girls gulped a huge amount of saliva and fear down their throats, anticipating every notion that is about to happen before their very eyes.

 

Most especially Umi, who was the one with the unusual worrying emotion lurking on her stomach for every second being wasted. She was struggling to acknowledge Kotori, who was an angel in Umi's eyes. And she had been the only one to have been on the bluenette's mind as of late.

 

In short, she was the only one who managed to capture the usually stoic girl's heart.

 

An inevitable truth indeed, and she had no other choice but to accept those feelings.

 

It was either that, or be depressed for the rest of her days.

 

But now, those feelings turned her ill, as if seeping into her heart like black magic, telling her that something is wrong. Technically there is, but more so like a negative fortune.

 

A reversed destiny.

 

And she had to stop her, before she could be swallowed by the malevolence.

 

"Kotori!", Umi finally heaved out, gaining the courage to turn Kotori's attention on her.

 

The girl did turn her head to peek at Umi, but her stare was blank. Emotionless. Void of any spark, "Shut up," she spoke before outstretching her arm towards her, making a strong tornado appear like a drill from the palm of her hand to strike at Umi with the deadliest of speeds.

 

Reacting on time, the amber-eyed girl dodged with precision, avoiding to be scratched by the drill-like typhoon.

 

And on her last spot left a canal-like dent, wide as a gasoline tank carried by a truck.

 

Umi gulped, hesitantly turning her gaze back at Kotori, who stood unaffected by the damage she had caused. And Aleister, who had kept quite, smirked.

 

"Aha... ahaha... HAHAHAHAHAH! Yes! This is the power that I have been looking for! Why have I not seen this before?! It's very glorious! Such magnificent display of strength!", he showered Kotori with praise, emphasizing with small gestures and such, brushing his hair back with a comb of his hand.

 

Nico snorted, ruining the moment that the man had been accustomed to, "You act like a kid, smarty pants! Aren't you satisfied with your magic already? Jealous, are you?", she teased, hinting him at least a tick mark off his forehead.

 

Which he did not comply, and instead gave her an amused grin, "As a matter of fact, I am not jealous. More like, I am enamored by such uniqueness! I had expected no less from the daughter of the Minami's. They had been of loyal service to me, and by far one of the longest who had served my allegiance," he explained, leaping off from his previous position and ending back with a thud besides Nico, "You, on the other hand, provided years of pure discovery. But loyalty, unfortunately, not."

 

The black-haired girl frowned, "How can I give you my full consent when all you did for me was kidnap me and rob me of my freedom?", she stabbed back, eyes glaring dangerously.

 

The man clicked his tongue in response, "You're misunderstanding me. I only wish for your full cooperation, willingly or not, for the betterment of this ruined world. It is for the people!", he exclaimed, raising his hand in the air to shadow the sun from his eyes.

 

He had slowly retracted his hand, however, when he heard a low laugh from Nico, "Pshu! For the people huh? I understand that you meant well when you used me as some sort of lab rat. My Spirit Animal was created because of the Magician. And it may or may not cause the destruction of humanity," she confessed with a straight face, not showing any notion of kidding around, "But you, who sought for everyone's well-being... stooped so low as to hire an arsonist to burn down every household which you suspect of unusual activities?"

 

At her words, Kotori reacted, her shoulder slightly perked up, then faced the man who had grinned at Nico's jabs.

 

"Oh, it was necessary for my image on liberation. If I cannot control those beasts myself, how else am I supposed to provide reassurance to the citizens who bear witness to my democracy?", Aleister admitted, gently lowering his head to get a closer look at the ebony-haired girl's angry face, "And for that to be completed, I am to take Nishikino Maki's head with me," he finished.

 

"What good will her head do? Will it actually liberate the world?!", Nico squirmed harder on the ground, gritting her teeth at her current situation.

 

Aleister chuckled a hearty laugh, shoving his hands in his pockets, one on each side, "No, no, her head won't liberate the world," he stood up straight, then leered down on her, "It will provide me with the knowledge and power to retain supremacy on all the people in the world. It's not a weapon, but a book. A book that is only of one use, and after that, it's trash."

 

Nico clicked her tongue in fury, not accepting his words of unsympathetic emotion. His lack of importance of Maki, who's parents were once loyal to him, only for them to be killed by the same man's hired professional.

 

Maki gulped at his words, thinking about a lot of things to distract all of the discrimination he had uttered about her head.

 

About her.

 

She knew what he had wanted. She knew why the cruel man wanted her head. She knew but opted to not tell. Because she was afraid. Afraid that if they knew, they wouldn't protect her.

 

That they would abandon her.

 

That they would be killed by the arsonist.

 

She was scared about that.

 

But all of her tension loosened when she heard a painful cry coming from Kotori, who's body shook as she wrapped her arms around herself. She was crying out, yelling and screaming and kicking dirt. She was in so much pain just from sight.

 

"You... hired that man?", she uttered so pitifully, weak and soft. A fragile voice. Broken and wounded.

 

And Aleister didn't have the heart to sympathize with her, "Of course. I was the one who ordered the arsonist to burn down houses with possible Spirit Animals in their care. After all, we cannot have a world with unnatural beings. That will leave the Earth unbalanced, and that goes against my protocol," he uttered, serious and straight to the point.

 

"And yet you cared less when he massacred my home, along with my mother and father, who you said to be of allegiance with your plans!", Kotori countered strongly with her head raised and eyes wide, tears flowing down to her chin like a waterfall, "You've never cared about anyone even when you said so... and I wouldn't have believed that you weren't at fault if I never knew about this... about what you did!"

 

A sword, silver and sharp, sprang from her palm as she held it tightly on her hand, same with the other. She now wielded her two blades, both pointed at the man in front of her, eyes just as sharp as the edge of a knife, "I'll never forgive you...," she muttered like a mantra, robotically and emotionless.

 

And all Aleister could respond with was through a chuckle, "I never really wanted your forgiveness to begin with. Whether you refuse to acknowledge it, I have my reputation cut out for me. I have millions of people ready to replace your parents, however worthy they may be of my attention. It's never a failure!"

 

The man's giggles soon turned into laughs, then cachinnation. So unrestrained and insulting that it boiled Kotori's blood almost all the way to boiling point, "You will never achieve your goals without sacrificing. That is understandable, and we cannot obtain our dreams if we do not forfeit unnecessary units," Aleister continued, arms spread in both directions.

 

"So you're saying... my parents were worthless?", the ashen-haired girl muttered, eyes shadowed by her bands.

 

The shaggy-haired man nodded, "Not the word I would describe it with, but yes. They were worthless. Just mere pawns ready to be thrown out whenever," he admitted without any pity in his tone.

 

And that was the last straw.

 

If he had been a minute late to perceive it, his head would've been snapped in two.

 

By two sharpened swords.

 

Kotori forced the blades even further, knowing that even the most powerful man wouldn't outmatch the strength of her Spirit Animal, which appeared behind her in the form of a white dragon, standing on its two hind legs with eyes sharp and vertical. Scales stood up from its back that made it look like spikes, with its head, elbows and knees enclosed by armor that were bonded by chains.

 

By its guide, it was as if Kotori herself was the dragon, with her right eye glowering in red, deadly and dangerous. Her stance stayed the same, but her face changed drastically from miserable to excited and almost crazy, "Well then, let's see this power of yours," she grinned, "If you really are worthy to be the king of your so-called pawns!"

 

The only wall keeping Kotori from tearing his body to shreds was a thin magic circle produced by Aleister himself. His face scrunched up, sweat multiplying on his face as he seethed his teeth in difficulty.

 

Umi's eyes widened as she shouted, "Kotori!", she made a leeway towards the two as fast as she could muster at the moment, with long leaps along the way thanks to her new Spirit Animal.

 

Completely ignoring her, the gray-haired girl kep her gaze focused onto her pray, eyes unblinkingly serious, "Don't get in my way," she ordered.

 

And from out of nowhere, Umi was forced to step away from an incoming slash by Kotori's Spirit Animal, the dragon peering its glare at her wake.

 

The bluenette gritted her teeth in frustration, "I can't let this go for long," she muttered before running around the white reptilian, mad dashing away from it.

 

However, it spread its wings widely, projecting a strong gust of wing that almost made Umi lose her footing, but thankfully she recovered rather quickly. The dragon hovered above the ground before flying straight towards Umi.

 

Suspecting that this would probably happen, the amber-eyed bluenette jumped above, avoiding a critical hit from the mythical creature midair.

 

The dragon raised its upper body, trying to hit Umi by flying backwards with its body flipped over as it flew, soaring at a dangerous speed.

 

And Umi knew that it was hard to evade such a speedy attack when in midair.

 

"Umi!", Maki shouted at the top of her lungs, worrying about the bluenette at the moment.

 

And Honoka could be seen with wide eyes while looking at her childhood friend in fear.

 

Fear of what might happen to her.

 

"Umi-chan!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Heh... Your petty swords can't touch me!", Aleister mustered all of his strength onto his magical barrier, which shattered when he swept it to the side along with the force Kotori used on her swords, which followed the direction at which he had made his circle go.

 

Then, when he seized the chance at which Kotori had lost her momentum, he leaped away from her.

 

But he had underestimated the time which she can recover from that imbalance.

 

Before he could even plant his feet firmly on the ground, the golden eyed girl followed his step, now midway between hitting him with her sword, which she readied behind her in a slashing motion.

 

She stroke.

 

But Aleister, fortunate as he is, put up his defenses by making magic circles appear like tiny shields on his palm, protecting him from the deathly strong strikes.

 

Strike after strike, the rain of relentless hacks made it too formidable for the man to even find a time to escape this situation. And Kotori made it more difficult by slicing up and twisting her body around in twirls while lacerating, a form which looked like a dance than a stance.

 

Along with her gashing, Aleister decided to follow his shields to where the swords were about to land a hit on, which made it easier for him to avoid her strikes, "Guh... You're good...!", he commented, one eye already closed from sheer fatigue, thinking of ways for this continuous cornering to end.

 

But his words never met Kotori's ears, as she was driven by the pure intention of killing him. And killing him alone. None of his actions fazed her, as she kept on attacking nonstop.

 

Aleister's eyes steeled. With one more slide of his shield, it connected with her sword. Then, as quickly as he could, he slid away from their tight distance, avoiding the incoming slash from above and rolling to the side.

 

Standing up, he shattered his shields and raised his right hand in a form that looked like a gun, "Shoot!", he said, making his pointed index and middle finger produce a ball-like fire that swirled as it was ejected from his fingers and directed towards Kotori.

 

Unsuspecting to him, the ashen-haired girl just brushed off his magic bullet like a breeze with the edge of her sword, making it look like it was guided in the wrong direction by the tip of its edges.

 

After that, it was as if the fight had continued without any hassle.

 

Kotori leaped in and had her right hand sword readied on her left for a wide swing. She saw the man forming a huge magical shield with two hands, preparing for her landing.

 

And when she went in for the kill, the sound of iron and a shield clashed, the noise almost making their eardrums break.

 

Small matters meant nothing now, however, as they both ignored it.

 

"Heh... I'm being pushed back... I'm actually being pushed back!", Aleister cackled, eyes shaking along with his body, concentration broken by the acknowledgment of his defeat.

 

"Yes... and you're about to die!", yelled Kotori, voice raised to a pitch at which it was distinguishable to be crazed and desperate. Unlikely for her.

 

And it took everything in his power for Aleister to not whimper about his broken pride, and instead kept on a steely facade, "You think so?", his voice was crooked, but he recovered from it, "I still have one more trick left," he uttered proudly, even when his knees were about to give in.

 

"Oh? And what would that be?", the gray-haired girl responded, uninterested in his tactics, as they were going to be his last hope to escape this madness.

 

"Haha! This!", the man showed her a bracelet, silver in color with a golden accent. Its design looked like they were from ancient times as they tweaked the simplicity of the accessory and made it look antique.

 

Kotori scoffed at the face of it, "What harm will that do?", she uncharacteristically dared, face inching forward with each step she took, closing her gap with Aleister.

 

"Oh, I think you're underestimating this thing too much. You want to know whom I got this from?", the man played with the bracelet on his hand, twirling it in midair and then catching it as it fell.

 

"I don't care."

 

"Hmm... we'll just see about that..."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Umi-chan!"

 

Umi's body fell, limp and hesitant to face the ground behind her. She readied herself for the upcoming pain.

 

But gradually calmed down when she felt no crushing bones nor her back being pulled down by gravity to stick on dirt.

 

Instead, she landed on the back of a winged animal, a bird with a long neck and wings that went as wide as twice the size of its body on both sides. With the colors of gold and orange mixing well with its radiant red, the animal soared into the skies with burning edges.

 

The bluenette's eyes widened when she felt no searing pain on her body at the contact of flames, but she became grateful for it.

 

The fiery bird landed with precision on the ground, just in front of its master, which was surprisingly Maki.

 

"Maki? Is this... your Spirit Animal?", Umi was astonished by the revelation of her friend having a second Spirit Animal, just like Kotori and the others.

 

The redhead twirled a lock of her hair, facing the other direction as a blush adorned her cheeks, "Well, I suppose so...," she muttered bashfully, even under these serious circumstances.

 

Umi hummed in acknowledgement and started to pet the bird and felt its feathers on the palm of her hand, "Thank you," she uttered, to which the Phoenix answered with a mighty squawk.

 

Honoka heaved out a sigh of relief when she saw that Umi was safe and far from danger.

 

However, as much as she'd like to ease up the tension, her gaze fell to the man who stated something that was very upsetting to the orange-haired girl.

 

And she did not like that at all.

 

"This bracelet," Aleister raised the bracelet above him, showing it to everyone like it was a very valuable treasure to brag about, "was made by the one and only Kira Tsubasa! She is a woman worthy of respect. And I am proud to say," the man smirked unknowingly, his next choice of words cut off the wires on Honoka's brain.

 

"That this was the last thing she saw before she went down by my arms!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooooooo, Tsubasa is, spoiler, not dead. If that’s what you’re thinking. I wouldn’t do that! Otherwise, I’d have Honoka going on an outrage as well. Besides, character deaths are not valid on my stories and I’ll do anything to prevent them. Even if it means I have to bring fantasy into reality!
> 
> So next time won’t be disappointing as the chapter seems to reach about 5k words at most. It’s the longest so far and I enjoy writing it! 
> 
> See you next week!


	20. Episode 19

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aleister mentioned Tsubasa, who was most likely immobilized by now. They reacted in their own ways, with Honoka getting sad at the fact that the person closest to her heart may be dead. And with Kotori going on a wild rage, things get heated up out there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, news flash. I suck at writing summaries. Hahahahah! 
> 
> And this is the chapter with approximately 5k words or more. And it took me a week to write this while the others probably reached two! Hah! Take that!
> 
> Anyways, thanks for the kudos and the reviews! I appreciate your comments to this story. 
> 
> So without further ado, let’s get the show starting!

"What...?", Maki couldn't believe what she just heard. If she recalled a few weeks ago, her last conversation with Tsubasa was about two weeks ago, before she met Nozomi and the others. So when...?

 

Eli stepped in, now walking closer towards the two currently in a close match, "So you're saying that you forced Tsubasa to give you that and you repaid her with a strike in the head?!", the blonde scowled, face slightly scrunched up in anger.

 

"You meant to say that I killed her afterwards, yes?", Aleister corrected before going to his answer on the blonde's inquiry, "Pardon me but I am no murderer, except for the fault of hiring a man to execute thousands of people consumed by beings once called as animals. I have no reason to kill Miss Kira."

 

Then he pushed Kotori back as she was unsuspecting of his attack just a few paces away from him, a nice distance for the time being, "But I must say, she catches onto my plans quite quickly. So I had no other choice but to paralyze her," he admitted without restraints, even smiling at his work.

 

"So you say," Eli let her Spirit Animal head in front of the man, the fox glaring death stares at Aleister like a fierce ravage beast ready to pounce on its prey, "But I still don't like the way you do things."

 

"Quite the contrary, Miss Ayase," Aleister glowered down, towering Eli with his height as he gazed down at her, "It is I who despises your actions. I don't prefer having you initiate hindrances to my plans as a matter of fact," was his competitive response, ignoring how Maki also glared at him and kept his eyes focused only on Eli's glimmering blue ones.

 

Eli kept a strong front, not opting to falter at his demeanor, "We certainly don't care about what you want. If you really intend to eliminate possible families with Spirit Animals any further than now...," she made a stance, left leg back and right arm in front at a defensive position, left arm bent behind her back, "Then you'll have to go through us first," she declared with as much willpower and confidence.

 

But the steel-gazed man only laughed at her, "I'm sure you already know that you outnumber me enough to have my handicap be counted with my two hands. But take note," he leaped behind, a few meters away from them and stood straight, prideful and powerful in his bearings, "I will not fall just because you exceed me on my abilities as a part of the Government, and its top ruler at that."

 

"We'll just see about that!", Nozomi, who went quiet for a few moments, cried out at the back as she pulled on the triggers of her two guns, not even concentrating on her accuracy and instead had her face brimming with excitement.

 

Lazily, Aleister dodged the two gunshots with ease as he just needed to twist his body in accordance with the bullet's direction.

 

However, his actions needed time, and the duration of his evasion gave Eli a chance to strike using her fists. She gave him an uppercut straight below his jaw, sending him flying above with much vigor.

 

A painful cry elicited from his body just as he had crashed down onto the ground, but his limping times were only for a few until he went upright and stood up to attack.

 

"It is very much unfair to fight more people as I am handicapped too much," he grunted, panting but showing no signs of giving in.

 

The fox howled, with Eli rubbing her knuckles in slight pain, "I'm sure you can fight your way out of this. After all, you are the President of the Government," she uttered.

 

Aleister scoffed loudly as he stood up, brushing dust particles off of his suit, "A pity. It would've boosted my confidence if the comment did not appeal to me as sarcastic and snarky," he barked, outstretching his arm and let out an air blast that zipped past the fields of green grass and straight towards Eli's head.

 

The blonde dodged by bending her body backwards and springing it back straight when she was sure that the attack went past her, "Then just give it all you've got. We're more than happy to take you on," the blue-eyed girl challenged, showing off a smile of her own.

 

"Hmm... I like the way you say things, Ayase. But it doesn't matter anymore," the man stated, closing his eyes as he smirked, "I'll finish you off with this one attack!", he declared as he suddenly brought his arm down onto the ground and then moved it in a slashing motion upwards in a fast motion, making what seems to be a cut through space.

 

Eli's eyes widened when she slowly felt her body getting sucked in towards the open portal of some sort. It was tearing through space as if it was a wormhole, "Guh—!", she grunted, digging her heels firmly and deeply on the ground in hopes of it slowing down her body from getting sucked into the unknown.

 

Her Spirit Animal was in the same position, digging its paws down on the grassy plain and refused to budge on its standing.

 

"Hahaha! Now you can't stop me!", Aleister cackled loudly, body vibrating from sheer laughter and giddiness, "This is the end for you, Ayase—?!"

 

He stopped on his track when a massive blow from behind him sent his body rolling onto the ground and stumbling until he hit a tree, which stopped his flight but dealt more pain on his part. The hit made his attack disappear as his concentration was lost, making Eli and her partner drop onto the ground when gravity managed to function normally on their part.

 

Unsuspectingly, he earned a kick on his spinal cord by Honoka, who's eyes looked puffed and red from crying as her tears continued still. Her mouth wavered and eyebrows twitchy, cheeks puffed out in anger as her hands balled into fists.

 

The only difference now was that she was accompanied by a different companion. Not a person but her Spirit Animal. And no, she was not partnered with a bear at the moment.

 

On her side was none other that a dog, brownish red in color and monstrous in vigor. Its eyes glowered in a bright bluish hue as its sides were adorned by dark brown streaks. Ears tentatively active and tense as it showed its bare fangs at the man, growling in accordance with its emotion.

 

When Aleister managed to recover from another severe blow, he staggered a bit before glaring at the person waiting for him to stand up, "A dog? And you think that a mere dog can stop me?!", he shouted, taunting her Spirit Animal to attack him.

 

But Honoka never made any movement. Instead, more tears ran down her face as her hiccups went more often than not, "I... I don't want you to hurt anyone anymore...," she cried, "You already hurt Tsubasa-chan... and I know I won't forgive you if I can't see her again..."

 

Her lips quivered as she spoke, body trembling in resistance to completely show her weakness, so she restrained, "That's why I want to protect everyone... I won't let you hurt anyone ever again!", she stated with as much confidence as she was vulnerable a few moments ago, eyes brimming with tears but full of compassion.

 

"Oh? And you say that Miss Kira is someone you hold dear... Interesting," the Government ruler grinned before standing up from his position on the ground, patting his coat off of dust.

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the ground still, Nico wriggled uncontrollably, fighting to just glance up at what was happening on the surface during her absence. Sure, she pretty much heard all of the explosions and shouts and screams that most of them already let out, but her concentration went to naught because of her current situation.

 

"Nggh—! Nozomi! Help me get this thing off!", she desperately pleaded towards the green-eyed girl, who had given her a mischievous glint on her eyes.

 

"As much as I appreciate you finally calling me by my name, I much prefer you down there than rousing even further to disaster that it already is," Nozomi giggled, which annoyed the black-haired girl as she snarled at her.

 

Clicking her tongue, she noticed something amiss since minutes ago, "Where's that cat girl and the shy one?", she asked.

 

The purple-haired girl noted to herself to ask Nico later as to why she tends to call them by stupid and insulting pet names instead of their real ones.

 

So to answer her question...

 

"I made them do something for me~," was the playful response of the byzantine-haired girl, having her index finger poking at her own cheek as she smirked mysteriously.

 

Nico squinted her eyes in the form of a glare, "What the hell did you make them do now?", she queried rudely, slightly fighting off the urge to growl at Nozomi for her sometimes quite irritating ideas.

 

"Oh you'll see~," was the cheeky reply she got, and it did not make her mood any better.

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

"So, you think that your feelings towards Miss Kira are going to help you beat me?", Aleister taunted, casually straightening his sleeves and his shoulder pads as if the pressure of being cornered wasn't of a concern to him.

 

"I know it will. I care for Tsubasa-chan because she helped us go through difficult times! And I want to repay her by beating you!", Honoka declared, pointing her index finger carelessly at the man without thinking of the consequences.

 

But it is her strong point.

 

And Aleister seems to fancy her determination, "I like your spirits. But that won't be enough to finish me off," he smugly shrugged, shaking his head as if to swagger.

 

But the orange-haired girl was too preoccupied by her will to fight him that she never gave attention to his actions and words.

 

And it was paying off, because just as the man had finished his sentence, a suction sound of some sort can be heard from behind them. And because Honoka's partner was a dog, it pretty much gave her sensitive ears too so she clearly heard it.

 

And she dodged in time too for Kotori's lethally deadly attack as it was headed straight for Aleister.

 

Kotori grinned uncharacteristically, having her twin swords forming and 'X' in front of her and her mythical Spirit Animal behind her, giving her attack a boost from its wings.

 

"Take this!", the ashen haired girl shouted, screaming at the top of her lungs when she made a slashing form that caused a clashing sound between two metal objects to be projected as the power being formed from her weapons clashed and fired in a straight line with a major accuracy and range.

 

With the dragon's wind boost, the energy ball flew faster and faster that it already was, shooting across the field and going for the target.

 

As it made its way past Honoka and the others, they couldn't help but had their hands put up in a defensive stance to shield themselves from the massive gale force of the attack. And even then as their heels dug into the ground, the force of the wind drove them at least just a few inches from their original position, as if it pushed them slightly.

 

Aleister narrowed his steely gaze as the incoming attack gained speed, heading towards him at a deadly pace. But the smirk that formed on his face made the others think that maybe he really was that powerful, "As much as I like a challenge, I'd rather battle you lot with all of my body parts intact. So I'm going to give this attack to the person behind me!", he exclaimed, putting his hand out in front of him as if to stop the attack.

 

But a bright red glow was emitted from his palm, and the light also seemed to illuminate the burst of Kotori's technique. And instead of making it stop or making it disappear, he worked his magic on it that made it look like he had manipulated the blow.

 

And he did. As the slashing force never headed straight for him, but zipped past him overhead and then back on track once it passed behind him, a form that almost looked like a breeze that had to adjust its way because there was a huge height hindrance in its path, making it move with a bump on its parallel direction.

 

And now that it had intentionally avoided Aleister's wake, it had another reason to make a potential threat.

 

Said attack was now headed straight towards Nozomi.

 

"Nozomi!!", Eli shouted, almost likely to jump out from her spot just to reach out for her dear friend as she was just standing there, looking like she had never cared about being hit by a powerful move.

 

Said girl's ears turned deaf at the moment. Yes, she had observed how the other's mouths opened widely at her, screaming for her to move away. Funny how she had wanted herself to be someone that will lend an ear for others, yet right now she kept a closed hearing sense, not wanting to be swayed by their words of worry. She had her reasons as to why she wanted her foot to be intact still on the same spot she had been on since earlier.

 

Because if she moved out of the way, then their house would be destroyed.

 

Their humble cottage held memories of the three of them, Kotori, Hanayo and her, when they were still young and wanting a family to stick to. And if Kotori went back to her senses, then she'd regret having to destroy the only home left for them.

 

And she never wanted anyone to blame themselves for doing things out of their control. Right now, the ash-haired girl was moving out of anger. It was just her emotions controlling her for now.

 

But Nozomi won't let her regret doing something out of blindness.

 

So she stayed firm, both of her guns on her hand, now raised and pointed outward, pointing at the attack.

 

And just beside her, Nico began to scramble into a frantic movement with whatever potentially locomotive joints she had at the moment, "Oi! Don't just stand there! Do something!", clicking her tongue, the red-eyed girl glanced to the sides as if finding something while gritting her teeth.

 

For a moment, Nozomi side glanced at her, showing a small smile to calm the scrambling girl below her, "I will. I won't let this destroy the only home that we have left," she declared confidently, facing the powerful move in front of her while her two guns steadied at her sight.

 

At her words, Nico stopped moving. Not calming down, but just being pensive and stoic, in deep thought as she heaved in and out for breath, "Huh... That so?", she asked out of the blue, worries now gone all because of the purple-haired girl's words.

 

"Yes," the green-eyed teen breathed out, shoulders dropping down when she exhaled.

 

Then, with fierceness in her irises, she inhaled a large amount of air into her lungs, filling it up as she raised her weapons even higher as she absorbed more fresh wind. Finally settling down to the amount she had limited on, she let it all out in one big huff and gazed at the incoming burst with intensity in her eyes, "Yoshi! If Kotori's giving her all in this attack, then so will we!", she exclaimed as her second Spirit Animal took form behind her, claws outstretched with open palms as its armor shimmered upon the sunlight's rays.

 

She made her guns click for unknown reasons and movements, and all of a sudden the two armaments were glowing; the purple gun having a dark magic circle forming on its mid point with the tip glowing in red while the white gun was engulfed in a bright yellow light that after some time had gathered at the tip, ready to blend in with the ammunition.

 

"Ready, partner?", she yelled towards the dragon behind her, earning a growl of recognition. So when she had heard his approval, she snickered, "Here goes nothing!", she clicked on the triggers of both her guns at the same time, also being synced by the mythological creature's howl of supremacy. The two combined bullets formed a formation that had it twirl in sync with each other, something similar to a DNA structure, but only in the color of bright royal yellow and clear pure charcoal.

 

"This is our combined spirits! Tales of the Twin Dragons!", Nozomi yelled at full vocals, igniting the attack with the amount of force she had given. And akin to its given name, the DNA-like move formed a dragon with its head being the tip as it moved in a swaying motion, as if it was a real dragon racing towards the benevolent effort of Kotori's attack. And along with the boost that Nozomi's Spirit Animal gave it, the prowess of her projectile increased along with its speed.

 

Now inching closer and closer, the distance between the two clashing forces went down to zero, and the whole world shook for a few moments.

 

"Brace yourselves!", Umi yelled in panic, having the others protecting themselves from any harmful impacts that may befall among them. It was not a lively occurrence when two powerhouses collide into one little space on Earth.

 

And this one was written in history, if not, then buried along with the people who deem to bear witnesses to this traumatic occasion.

 

When the two moves did clash, a shockwave was sent through the entire area like a huge clap of tsunamis. Fields of greens were destroyed as the grass were either cut or uprooted, so were the trees unfortunately. Even the strong ones barely managed to stick to their hold on the ground but the leaves were rather too light on their clutches as they flew away from the place along with the strong waves of wind.

 

The ground bent and cracked at uncomfortable angles, fissures more likely formed at the center at which the attacks collided with each other. Former hills were, If squinted enough, moved from their usual spot by at least a few inches, as if they had been pushed by a very strong man.

 

While the power of the destruction was indeed very overbearing, the remaining ten people along its closer ranges were either unscathed or unmoved, as they have been helped by their Spirit Animals.

 

Except Aleister, as he had stood firmly on his ground with a glowing chain of some sorts holding him in place as it was linked from his wrists down buried under the ground.

 

When the shockwaves died down and the breeze returned to a normal and calming rate, the chains that kept the man upward shattered as it flew away like sparkling dust. Then he kept a straight face, as if all that had never happened, "Now then, where were we?", he was half serious with his words and a bit of both teasing and mocking.

 

The latter two of his tone stabbed Kotori right at her ego, making her think more negatively as she took his words with pleasure and anger.

 

Nozomi, however, faked hurt as she pouted a bit, but in a playful way, "I believe you were being cornered by Honoka, whom you couldn't even chase down her dog, or rather "a mere dog", I mean," she grinned, supposedly trying to fight fire with fire.

 

And the way that Kotori was affected by the man's words was the same for him as well, "Tch... I am baffled by your terms, but I have to correct you. I haven't been cornered, as you can see," he pointed at Honoka, who still had a passing look on her face, still not over with the traumatic collision.

 

"Hmm... doesn't look like that to me," Nozomi faked ignorance, tapping her chin with her index finger in an attempt to show that she was clueless, glancing at Honoka's Spirit Animal, the dog being alert and glaring daggers at Aleister.

 

"As a matter of fact, you are misleading me. She looks like she still hasn't let bygones be bygones," the man accusingly pointed his finger at the still fazed girl, staring blankly at the space at which history was taken by storm, "In fact, how in the world did she manage to stay intact on the ground when all she did was openly stare at it as it went away with exploding most of the area unarmed, yet unharmed in the end?!"

 

And he was irked by the purple-haired girl's chuckle as a response, "Which means you can't judge a person by the way she appears on the outside, yes? If you've observed that, then clearly you can say that she's capable," she held her words with truth and confidence, glancing at Honoka with a smile that showed endearment and trust.

 

"Huh... Capable, you say," he darkly muttered as he gazed down onto his polished black shoes, hands inside his pocket, "Not the right word I was looking for, but I suppose it holds the truth," he submitted unwillingly, eyes closed.

 

"Glad that you finally accept who you're facing. A dedicated and strong girl who's power increases with her love for her friends," 'And crush', Nozomi replied, and the last part she hushed to herself. She wouldn't say it out loud as it would've caused Honoka some major panic with her secret being uncovered. Not that it was a secret, since it was kind of obvious with how passionate she always was when she said Tsubasa's name and all.

 

But her unguarded demeanor didn't stay long as she heard a slight movement from the man, his right arm now in front of him, palm upward as a small ring-shaped magic circle formed above it, "Coincidentally, I've yet to approve of her abilities though, so I have to test it first to believe it," he stated unwaveringly, eyes showing confidence.

 

Nozomi blinked once, then sighed as she shook her head in disbelief, "I suppose so," she glumly replied, but stayed positive when she has yet to see progress.

 

Especially from the two she had sent off to do things on her behalf in secret.

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

Back on Umi and Maki's side, the two were pushed back a bit by the massive storm. Luckily Maki's partner protected the both of them with a mighty flap of its wings, sending forth winds that clashed with the shockwave so as to create an effect of having them being shielded from the force of the collision.

 

Kotori stood perfectly still on her spot, not even bothered by it like it was just a soft breeze, as her dragon flew alongside her a few feet off the ground, it's humongous wings thrashing and on par with the blast that it so much as avoided to hit the creature.

 

Hearing those words from the man's mouth almost felt as if they were barbs, on the ashen-haired girl's perspective. He meant it, she was sure, but she couldn't help but fall for his mockery of their strength, Nozomi's and hers. With her sense of judgment, she handled his statement with seriousness and inability to rightfully discern the good from the bad side of it.

 

Technically at the state she's in, it will most likely be hard for her to find the positive output of anything.

 

Fairly enough though, she had made her point when she had deduced his words as an insult, however reaction it may create.

 

So without any warnings, she sharpened her swords with each other, metal against metal clattering at a disturbing cry. Aleister and Nozomi along with Honoka and Eli aside, only Maki and Umi seemed pretty much bothered by her action, seeming as they were the only ones who can hear it.

 

The golden-eyed girl paid no heed to their attention as she narrowed her eyes, probably thinking of more ways to attack the man unsuspectingly.

 

So the red-haired girl and the bluenette had no other choice but to try and stop her.

 

In a peaceful way, as much as possible.

 

"Kotori...," Umi muttered softly, trying to attract her attention towards her, but it looked like Kotori was very persistent on ignoring them, that or she was just too focused on Aleister.

 

Maki clicked her tongue, "At this rate, another power clash will occur. But we can't persuade Kotori to stop or she'll be driven into another irritant fit," she whispered to Umi, who had acknowledged her thought.

 

"I know... But how can we deal with her?", the yellowish brown-eyed girl muttered back, eyes squinted and calculating.

 

The amethyst-eyed girl stopped and thought for a moment. It may not be so bad to have her Phoenix clash with her dragon, but it might destroy the whole plain if the fights ensue. And a peaceful treaty may be out of coverage for the duration of this awkwardness.

 

In the end, she still ended back at square one: nothing.

 

But something did reach her hindsight. And her brows shot up at what she had seen through the corner of her eyes.

 

Kotori dropped down low, as low as her knees can bend without relaxing. Breathing at a fine pace, she concentrated for the right timing, as if she was a predator finally trying to pounce onto her prey.

 

But she tensed up when she heard the bushes near her shuffle, as if there were movements.

 

She stood back straight, then turned half of her body sideways to take a good look at what's behind her.

 

And she was surprised, yet solemn, when she saw that it was Hanayo who had stood just beside the shrubs.

 

So the ashen-haired girl glared, "What is it?", she coldly asked, not even restraining the forcefulness and stony tone in her voice for one of the people that stood beside her whenever she felt lonely and oddly scared.

 

She treated Hanayo as a family, but at the moment, it was as if Kotori never knew her in the first place.

 

The brown-haired girl quirked at the reserved tone that the girl used, still scared as she was shivering like crazy, yet brave and determined. She clenched her jaw and fists, eyes now steeled and unmoving, "Please stop this...," it was unknown to the others whether she had intentionally minimized the volume of her voice, or it was just her bashfulness kicking in.

 

Kotori, however, was unfazed by it and kept on protruding for reasons, "What makes you think that I'll listen to your pleas?", she interrogated, clutching her hold on her sword's hilt even tighter.

 

Hanayo stayed still for a moment, then raised her head with a look of confidence on her face, eyes wide and brows furrowed, "Because... we're a family!", she squeaked, hair rising and body hardened from so much tension. She had her eyes closed even as she had finished speaking her point, hoping that she'll get her thought across.

 

Sadly, it never did as Kotori put up a brave front, "Family? I don't have a family," she walked, step by step, seconds before she had closed her distance from Hanayo, who was slightly shrinking down in fear, "My family was killed by that man years ago. So don't you dare call yourself my family when in actuality you aren't," she ended, dropping the sword on her right and proceeding with flicking the younger girl's forehead with her hand, sending waves of pain on Hanayo's forehead and pushing her body towards the bushes forcefully.

 

Both Umi and Maki gasped at Kotori's actions as they immediately up and went towards Hanayo, who was writhing in pain while holding her forehead, tears dripping down her face in discomfort and agony.

 

The gray-haired girl smirked darkly, liking her work on the brunette better that she had initially expected, "You're too weak to even become my family. Give it up," she sneered before turning her back on the three, picking up her fallen sword and walked away.

 

But not before having Hanayo grab her wrist, stopping her from proceeding her steps.

 

Kotori glared back at her, eyes twitching in anger and irritation, "You're kind of full of yourself, aren't you? What makes you think you can just hold my hand and I'll just forget about it?"

 

But seeing the brunette look at her with glistening eyes made her think twice about her words, but she didn't have to think about what she'd say when all of her thoughts were blown away by what Hanayo said.

 

"Because I don't want to let you go... Because I care about you too much that it hurts to see you act like this... Because I know what you've been through that I can sympathize with you... Because I've had that kind of experience as well... Because I love you!", the brown-haired girl bursted out, lavender eyes tearing up and shimmering as she spoke with feelings and emotion, "You're one of my precious family... I can never live it down if you weren't by my side anymore... You're important to me and I want to protect you that's why I'm doing this! So I don't care what you say right now because what matters most is that I care about you and that will never change!"

 

Her speech cleared the area, as if an angel had passed by. Umi and Maki were both hanging, jaws slightly dropped when they heard the usually stuttering girl give away such an emotional confession.

 

And not only did it give them such jaw dropping reactions, it made Kotori silent. She never made any movements nor spoke a word or two.

 

Instead, she had dropped both her swords abruptly, backing away as if she was afraid. Her arms were shaking as she lifted them up to touch her own face, clutching onto her eyes as she began to scream in agony.

 

Hanayo was surprised as she didn't expect this kind of reaction from her, so were the other two. They were worried and wanted to come closer to her.

 

But her wailing never stopped nor did they decrease on volume. As if she was in a rampage, the gray-haired girl thrashed around, losing her footing then began to breathe heavily as she clutched her head more with shaking hands.

 

And because of her out of control state, even her dragon was losing its sanity. It flew in circles on the sky, growling and snarling and even dropping to the ground just to graze the grass with its claws.

 

This wasn't a good sign, Maki thought. She stuck closer to her Phoenix, the bird fearlessly eyeing the mythical creature from below.

 

Umi was confused. She was worried about Kotori's current state, if her psychological health was still fine or not. She may not be, she deduced. But seeing the tears flowing freely from her eyes, it made her think again.

 

But she stopped her train of thoughts when she saw the dragon nearly hit them, quickly raising her arms in the air to guard herself from a gust of wind.

 

She saw the dragon once again doing a circular movement before heading towards them again, this time intending to hit them squarely.

 

And precisely towards Hanayo.

 

The brunette's breath hitched at the sight of the incoming dragon, unable to even move from her frozen state due to fear. Mouth agape and crumbling, shivers heavily dropped down her back as she stood like a statue. Maybe a fish out of water, if so.

 

Kotori doesn't seem to be minding this since she has her own agony to fight, and Maki was too far away to even manage to reach her in time. She wanted to run, and she did.

 

But the dragon was too fast that it flew past them in a slight blur, having Maki's Phoenix pick up speed in order to protect her from upcoming gales.

 

So the redhead had no other choice but to put her hopes on Umi, who had reacted out of reflex.

 

She leaped sideward from her post, stretching her arm to, if she never made it at least, block the dragon out of Hanayo's way.

 

She needn't to. Because she so happened to still stand up even as she was already in front of the girl, her arms wide and inviting, eyes fearful but unmoving. Her rabbit was beside her, hooping up and down with its body moving out of whims and warm ups.

 

Heaving out quite a large amount of air, Umi calmed herself, "I'll protect you, Hanayo. Don't worry," she uttered moderately for the girl behind her to hear, closing her mouth and one eye when a wave of incoming breeze headed straight forward, "I'm sure... that none of this... is what Kotori wanted...," she bared through gritted teeth, raising her hands in front of her face to shield herself from the gust.

 

Hanayo perked up at the bluenette's words, a hint of pink dusting on her cheeks. She nodded, nonetheless, at Umi's admission on Kotori's actions, and she knew deep within her that what she said is true.

 

So when the rampart reptile headed towards them with ferocity and rage, Umi held on with her footing, and out of nowhere raised her right leg and had her right foot open in perception to the dragon's bare claws.

 

Hanayo gasped at her actions, so did Maki from afar, "Umi! Stop! You can't—!"

 

"I don't want Kotori to regret anything!", the golden brown-eyed girl exclaimed, persistently holding up her position to block the dragon's attack, "If there's one thing that's going to stop—"

 

She stomped down her right foot, then turned around to her left at 180 degrees. She placed her left foot forward, pushed her heel down onto the ground, then raised her right leg once more, the action more likely to be a swing rather than a block.

 

"—then I'll be stopping this attack from going through!", she cried with confidence, giving her left leg strength for a good swing.

 

The rabbit on her side hopped onto her shoulder, jumping towards the sky until it couldn't be seen by the naked eye.

 

But when the dragon was inches away from Umi herself, it was surprising enough that it was not her leg which had pushed the dragon away and had it rolling on the ground upon impact.

 

Neither Maki nor Hanayo had seen this predicament, but they seemed more relieved than surprised.

 

Who wouldn't. After all, even Umi seemed quite taken aback when she saw a dark blue falcon above her, flapping its majestic wings ferociously as it swept leaves along the tornado it had created.

 

If it weren't for its talons on pushing the dragon away then maybe, just maybe, Umi may have believed herself to be dead meat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may have just been awarded with the most cliffhangers award? It’s kind of frustrating on my part that I don’t know how to end a chapter. Hahahaha!
> 
> Anyways, this chapter showed just how much a family can mean to a person. So in a sense, this is one of those chapters that got me going. Hahaha, else I’d be down in the dumps and throw this away along the parade. 
> 
> But I’m continuing and ending this story whether I like it or not! Even if it takes me years! 
> 
> Sooooooo, most likely it’ll take longer that usual but I’ll cooperate. See ya next week~


	21. Episode 20

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Umi got a new Spirit Animal. Kotori finally calmed down. Hanayo finally spurted out her feelings. And Maki stayed to watch it all happen. How about Honoka?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, clearly I suck at summaries, but my efforts are worthy. Hahahaha!
> 
> Soooooooo, the thing is, my phone is busted so I may not be able to update every Thursday as per agreement. But in hopes of finishing this story, I’ll be hopeful.
> 
> Anyways, enough about the sad stuff. It’s Honoka Time!

"Umi... you...," the redhead breathed out in relief, seeing as her old friend looked okay even though her face had the expression of something similar like she had eaten a pickled plum that's been preserved for years.

 

But she was still surprised when the bluenette had summoned a second Spirit Animal, something that even she was amazed about.

 

Umi heaved out a heavy breath, finding herself a bit taken aback when she saw a falcon instead of her rabbit. She had only summoned her small Spirit Animal just a few weeks ago and now, she has another Spirit Animal as well.

 

Just like Kotori and the others.

 

And this made her feel like she can overcome anything. So with her newfound confidence, she looked straight at Kotori, clutching tight her knuckles even as they turned white, "Kotori... Please listen to me, to us. We'll be here for you. You're not alone anymore," she softly comforted the girl completely balled on the ground, still silently screaming as her face were drenched in cold sweat and salty tears.

 

No matter how heartfelt the emotions in Umi's words were, they weren't enough to be able to pull through the ashen-haired girl. It did manage to slightly put off her weeping, just a little bit for her to calm down.

 

But her dragon was still out of shape, and once it saw Umi's falcon, who had stopped its attack, it snarled loudly and raised its sharp claws, ready to slash down with all its might to tear down even the ground beneath them.

 

The brownish yellow-eyed girl's eyes widened as she immediately raised her arms in a protective stance, "Please try to delay him!", she commanded—more like begged—her Spirit Animal, the winged beast shrieking in acknowledgement as it flapped its wings for a boost and had its talons sharpened to intercept the dragon.

 

The two flying animals clashed with one another, the sound of claws resounding in the air were like steel clashing with iron, even on impact it produced a shockwave that was almost on par with the earlier explosion.

 

While this was happening, Umi's main priority was to snap Kotori out of her trance. So as far as she was concerned, she knew nothing about comforting people.

 

And this made her a bit nervous as she had remembered the first time she had met Kotori, when she had slept with her on the same bed.

 

And the first time she had seen someone so utterly afraid and weak while asleep. It was as if she was fighting something even though she was unconscious. Umi thought about that back then, and she recalled that she never did do anything to soothe the poor girl onto a calmer state.

 

She did hug her though.

 

So the first thing that she did, and was unsure of if it will work, was to wrap the girl under her with her arms, openly enclosing them in a warm yet awkward embrace. Somehow, Umi felt heat getting mixed up between them even though her hands were cold and her palms were too sweaty to ignore.

 

But she was sure that Kotori had reacted when they closed the gap of their bodies.

 

"U... Umi-chan...," the golden-eyed girl beneath her uttered in a hushed volume, finding herself slowly wrapping her own arms onto the taller girl, clutching onto her fabric rather tightly as tears progressed down her face onto the bluenette's shirt.

 

Hearing her whimpers broke Umi's heart like a glass shattered upon impact. She had never heard anything nearly as weak as the one she was hearing now. It was very soft, and genuine, and for the first time today, sincere.

 

And the goldenrod-irised bluenette leaned into the embrace, sniffling out when she suddenly found it hard to breathe as her nose began to bury itself as her eyes went watery as well. Closing her eyes, Umi britted her teeth in frustration, holding the other girl closer, "I promise, I'll always be here to protect you. I may not be able to do that every second but..."

 

She slowly pulled back, hands now on the other girl's shoulder as she looked at her with vibrant amber orbs to shimmering gold ones, "...I'll be here... with you. Always...," Umi smiled as she uttered those words and made those actions. She pointed her index finger as she said all of that to Kotori's chest, where her heart resides and beats.

 

Somehow, she found herself seeing a satisfied expression on Kotori's face, eyes widened when she heard her words.

 

"You already are...," the pewter-haired girl said, tightening her grip on the taller girl's shirt one last time before closing her eyes and falling forward, landing on Umi's chest.

 

Surprised, the bluenette panicked for a bit, trying to understand what Kotori's state might be, "U-Uhm... are you okay?", kind of a lame question, but she wouldn't judge. She was out of sorts as well, in other terms.

 

But she did find herself relieved when she felt a slight movement from the other girl, a soft breathing pace.

 

She must've tired herself from all of that power she'd exerted earlier, Umi mused. But she somehow kept on holding her smile on her face as she brushed the gray-haired girl's bangs away from her face, looking at it with affection.

 

Seeing the two look mesmerizing from afar may or may not have made Maki a bit jealous, since she may have also gotten a moment like that once.

 

Apparently, about two weeks ago. But she wouldn't mind waiting until a certain idiot finally has a change of pace in her life.

 

So the only problem now was Aleister, who is too fixated on the others that he hadn't noticed their side passing from the storm a bit too early than expected.

 

"Oh... and there's also...," Maki deadpanned when she saw how the clash between the mighty dragon and the indomitable falcon never ceased. Ironic how their partners were there being very sweet while their Spirit Animals had it rough around the edges.

 

And she may or may not be annoyed by that, but as long as Kotori looks okay, then that was good enough of a reason for her to be relieved.

 

So just for a quick glance, Maki looked at the other side of the field, making sure that Eli and the others are also making some progress.

 

At a glance though, she finds herself staring at Aleister's current state with sprawled hair and tattered clothes. She wouldn't have doubted when she already knew of Honoka's second Spirit Animal.

 

But a cat as well? That's something you don't see everyday, but Maki already assumed as to whom it belongs to.

 

Of course, Rin would've been more that happy to join in for the fun, since even her childhood friend was involved as well. No turning back, she supposed.

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

"I am not weak, that much you can believe, right? So how come you're putting a one-sided gamble on a fight that the future has already decided?", Aleister raised a curved brow, showing off a confident smirk with pocketed hands.

 

Nozomi hummed, amused at his certainty on the subject, "Quite presumptuous, I see. No wonder," she nodded to herself as she moved forward with not much as three steps, "But I think you're getting a little bit too ahead of yourself there. No one can predict what will happen in the future, and that includes you. So just for a quick hint—"

 

The purple-haired girl took out a tarot card from her pocket, lifting it up until it was flat on her forehead, closing her eyes in concentration. Then, she slowly moved the card away from her face and looked at it in amusement.

 

"—you're not going to like what my tarot cards have to say about your fortune," she said while having her fingers twirl the tarot around so that it was facing the man. The cards showed The Tower in an upside down position.

 

And Aleister can only think of the worst possible case scenarios that the card has predicted.

 

"I'm not interested in your cards. My actions are more than enough to get me to where I want to be! And my ambitions are far too perfect for you meddlesome children to deter," he claimed, raising her right arm to release the small ring on his palm as it floated in the air.

 

And for each second as it twirled around in midair, a burning flame expanded from its edges. And as it sped up its pace, the fire continued to grow and even spread out as if it was raining flames.

 

Now no longer in a daze, Honoka jerked up from her position to look at the ring from above, its figure now looking closer to that of the sun.

 

And she had never been more amazed in her entire life.

 

And her reaction made Aleister crumble in bewilderment.

 

"Wow! I've never seen the sun up so close before! I mean, it can probably ruin my eyes so I can't really stare at it for long. But this time, I can glare at it without worrying about my eyesight!", Honoka threw her arms up in the air, cheering hurrays as she yelled and jumped and leaped for joy at her momentous occasion.

 

Following her actions, the dog also let out its tongue hanging as it howled in happiness and joy, just like his master's mood.

 

If this wasn't in a very serious mood then Aleister would've gagged at her innocence on the situation. But because he had all the time in the world to cope, he shrugged off his shoulders and adjusted his tux, "I stand corrected. She can never be on par with my abilities at her current mindset. I believe you're mistaken there, Miss Toujou."

 

Nozomi nodded to him in return, closing her eyes and smiling knowingly, "Perhaps not now. Maybe until an opportunity strikes," she smoothly intercepts, chuckling to herself as she crouched down to her knees, patting Nico on the head several times before she withdrew her hands as the black-haired girl was about to attempt on landing a bite on her wrist.

 

"Opportunity?! Does that involve me in many weird ways than what I would've liked?", Nico scowled, chanting mantras of curses at the purple-haired teen above her with glaring eyes.

 

Nozomi hid her grin behind the back of her palms, playfully waving her hand as she approached Eli, "Oh no, I would never! But I suppose you wouldn't mind, yes?"

 

The ebony-haired girl clicked her tongue, not bothering to bicker back at the other girl as she slumped back down onto her state, body limp and unmoving as she tried to doze her anger off.

 

Assuming that it's safe for Nozomi to change topics again, she draped an arm over Eli's shoulder and whispered something to her, with the blonde nodding every once in a while to the emerald-eyed girl's words.

 

But one incoherent mumble made the blue-irised blonde's eyes widen in surprise, "Are you sure? That... might be kind of risky...," Eli tried to brush off warily, face having an expression of exasperation and worry.

 

But Nozomi just shushed her with a finger on the other girl's lips, shaking her head slowly, "I've already talked to the cards about this. And they're basically approving my premonitions!", she delivered with an excited tone.

 

Making the blonde sigh with no other choice but to just trust the girl unwillingly and probably hope for the best, "Might as well just see it for myself...," she glumly slumped down, closing her eyes and then waiting for something to happen in front of her.

 

"Are you done gossiping about worthless things? If possible, I would like to kill you as soon as I can. Then I can target Nishikino and take her head back with me," the shaggy-haired man uttered, clearly annoyed by Nozomi's usual antics.

 

And to think it's working, Eli thought as she already knew most of what might be on Nozomi's mind quite often than not. She had been her friend since way back, after all. She can tell, alright.

 

The green-eyed girl hummed yet again as a response, which irked the man in worse ways than usual, "I'm not so sure about that. And besides, we're not your opponents here," Nozomi stated in a matter of fact tone, snickering with a playful glint in her eyes.

 

The man arched a brow at her words, "Oh? Then I don't suppose you're expecting me to challenge a kid for a death match?", he snarled, fixing his cuffs and brushed off the dust clinging on his clothes.

 

"Well, I wouldn't say "a kid", you know," Nozomi giggled, crossing her arms afterwards as her expression got more serious, "Maybe we can say, "two" kids are your opponents this time," she said.

 

Now with furrowed brows, Aleister went from confident to confused, "Two? I've already tamed the wolf to the ground, she's no longer available for a duel—", a loud snap can be heard on the background when an animated arrow struck Nico in the chest with a heavy drop, her face shocked as the man just assumed her as the other kid, as a kid in particular, along with them, "—so who, pray tell, is this other child that you're supposedly telling me as my other foe?"

 

Nozomi smirked, "Look behind you~", she pursued rather merrily, even though the man's expression went pale as he turned around slowly.

 

Only to be pounced on the chest by something small, which resonated in having his ring break along with his loss of concentration, making his ring of fire in the air crash to the ground like glass. And it left the man too speechless to presume the tiny creature currently pinning him down to the ground.

 

Probably too small to believe when just one push from it left Aleister at a shocked state as he lied on the ground, staring at the animal right in front of him—rather, on top of him.

 

And to his surprise, it was a cat. A furry, tiny, and incredibly annoying looking cat with the shade of the setting sun and eyes of pure gold, malicious and feisty. Its paws weren't sharpened with claws, yet, and its tailed wagged in the air like it had nothing to fear from the man beneath its presence.

 

Approximately a few centimeters away from them, Rin stood with a cat-like grin on her face, clearly happy with how her supposed Spirit Animal attacked the leader of the Government, "Finally, I caught you nya!", she exclaimed happily, giving a thumbs up as a praise to her own work.

 

The man harrumphed and brushed away the cat with just a sweep of his arm above him, finally standing up and once again redo the action of dusting his shirt and pants, "While I am not thrilled to know who my other opponent is, this is certainly not the best way for me to deal with such a predicament," he lamented, annoyed and bothered at the same time.

 

"You won't know who you're messing with until you do nya! So fight me like the man you are!", feeling much more braver than earlier, the cat-like girl uttered with sheer confidence and a determined face, having the cat run back beside her to snuggle up on her leg affectionately, purring as it did so.

 

And its actions fueled Aleister's boiling anger even more, "Tentatively, you're making such a false accusation of me. And furthermore, I am, physically and biologically, a man, so to speak. And whatever you may relay on me in forms of strength..."

 

He stopped for a second, then stepped back to grow some distance between them, feeling the burning sensation in his innards to which he'd address as his "scalding acrimony".

 

"I will stop your advances no matter the power!", he declared with furrowed brows and thinly pressed lips, eyes narrowing and glaring daggers at them.

 

Rin just put her hands on her hips and smirked, "If you insist nya! I will show you my partner's lightning speed sonic flash!", probably due to her excitement, the orange-haired girl had made an order in advance that the others were caught off guard.

 

Because in a blink of an eye, Aleister was covered in clothes that were more ripped than any filthy rags out there, the cuffs were hanging and his coat was torn off at the back, leaving his white shirt beneath visible, yet tattered as well. Pants were hardly called as such, and more like ripped slacks at the moment. His shoes were still in favorable condition.

 

But that just won't do.

 

Aleister, being the gentleman he actually his, gave them one last framing look before going automatically berserk, expression like that of a serial killer with the intention of actually killing.

 

"Things like these calls for drastic measures. But all of you have crossed the line," he grinned manically, eyes untamed and were moving at a shaking and disturbing pattern that made him look more crazed, "So as to eliminate possible witnesses, I'm afraid I'll have to kill all of you here."

 

Honoka pumped up her fist, looking at Rin as they nodded at each other, "Bring it!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Weeeeeeell, I’m not satisfied with this chapter, but it’s the best I can make for the moment. And either that or I’ll wait for a miracle.
> 
> See you next week, if I can (sulks in the corner)


	22. Episode 21

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Honoka deals with Aleister, this time along with Rin. What could be the outcome of this match?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. I'm sorry to say, I may go on a hiatus. But not long enough though. My phone broke, and the only way to get it to work is by using it as it charges. But it's only going to make it worse so I'm letting it rest.
> 
> Soooooooo, I may have to worry about my story. But not to worry, I've backup chaps so I'm still in on it.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for the support. I've reached 1k views because of you guys, and it's my first story so it means a lot.
> 
> This may be short but I hope you guys like it.

"So then, a dog and a cat along with two meddlesome kids with eight grade syndrome," Aleister murmured, preferably raising his voice to make it more audible to the subject of insults.

Honoka and Rin, being one of the slow learners of the group (along with Nico but she is now incapable of movement), raised a brow and looked at the man with confused gazes, "Eight grade syndrome...?"

"What's that nya?"

Out of spite, the man could only laugh at their ignorance, a wide smirk plastered on his face as his eyes showed craze, "Oh, it's when a grown person still acts, thinks, and does things childishly. In your case, your innocence is one thing, but your way of perception is below the average level," he stated, again trying to perform yet another ring trick as the circle began to float in midair above them.

The two small animals followed the ring with their line of sight as it continued to swirl above the ground, spinning until it produced a white smoke of some sorts. Along with them, their human partners were also awed by Aleister's current scheme.

And this ticked the man off even more.

"It must be safe to say that you two have a lot more serious illness that I have initially thought," he muttered darkly, annoyed by how Rin and Honoka were both too preoccupied with something and not even sensing the murderous aura that started to consume the man.

Honoka's eyes sparkled, not even bothering to listen to Aleister's words, "Uwaaaaaaa~ I wish I could do that. And I don't even know magic," she woshed, then crouched down as her arms were on her knees for support, staring at the dog with shimmering irises, "Ne ne, you want to perform a trick with me?! Maybe we'll make an even better attack than him!"

Of course, as contagious as it definitely is, her enthusiasm sucked the dog and it had it nod with assurance as it stuck its tongue out playfully, as any other dog would've done.

The ginger-haired girl grinned happily and then glanced back up at Rin, "I know! Why don't we combine our attacks? Maybe we can even do something as cool as what Nozomi-chan and Kotori-chan did earlier!", she merrily asked, jumping up and down with such giddiness that Aleister's eyes couldn't remove themselves from its line of sight, which was in the direction of Honoka.

Following her conviction, Rin nodded frivolously, a toothy grin on her face as she pumped her fist in excitement, "Nya! Sounds like fun! I'd like to give it a go then!", she eagerly accepted, the two now fist bumping each other with neither a serious nor a stoic face.

And if that was annoying enough, then the man would've pulled out his hair without holding back.

Luckily he kept it together and just brushed his hand through his hair, probably in frustration and exhaustion, "Look, I'm clearly stating my point here at it went straight through. And as much as I'd like to appreciate that you are trying to outperform me with something similar to earlier—" he adjusted the tie on his neck, which was crooked and wrinkled due to his movements earlier, "—I have no intentions of playing around with you, nor do I enjoy foolishness in regards to humorless duels," he spoke with certainty and authority as he went with a final position for his tie, which was now placed at the middle of his suit at an angle that showed elegance and formality.

Though this went unnoticed to the two.

"Uhm... so we can't combine our attacks then nya?", Rin asked cluelessly, pouting when she misconceived the man's indirect threat and going at it the other way around.

Honoka seemed to follow her ignorance, however, "I suppose it's unfair... but still, it's called an advantage so we should make use of that!", she declared with firmness, raising her arm in the air as if to say that she was motivated even further.

Perking up at the ginger-haired girl's words, the cat-like girl turned her frown into her trademark grin and also raised her arm to match the other's, "Yeah! You're right nya! We should totally make good use of that!", she encouraged with good intentions.

Yet unwillingly made a tick mark go off on the man's forehead, along with a slight twitch at the edge of his mouth, "You two...," he clenched his fist tightly, the crinkles on his gloves showing how hard he was gripping his knuckles, "I am trying to entertain myself with your output... But more often than not, you are highly disrespecting me and go as far as to refuse the acknowledgement of my good graces. Willingly or not, I'm afraid I cannot let that pass," he steeled his gaze at them, now passing his anger and more on raged, smirk wide and with deadly purpose.

With a quick flick of his finger, the revolving ring from above descended slowly, the puffs of smoke following as it went down, spiraling along the way.

For Aleister, it was the ultimate plot to finally put an end to his obstacles.

To Honoka and Rin, it was a sight to behold.

"Amazing...! I'm getting fired up just from watching it!", Honoka yelled with amusement, glancing at her dog and then petting him softly in the head, brushing back its slick brown and red fur, "I know! Maybe we can do an attack like that! How does that sound?"

Her partner barked with vigor and circled around, wagging its tail in agreement to its partner's terms.

Rin heard this and raised her hand in the process, "Oh! I wanna be in it too nya!", she also petted the cat as it purred in glee.

The ginger-haired girl nodded and then went into a deep thought. Closing her eyes in concentration, she pursed her lips and quirked her brows.

And when an idea finally decided to pop out from her mind, she grinned, "Alright! I've got it!"

"Now then, prepare to be stricken by my magical porous haze!", the man announced, confident with his work, "I deeply regret doing this, but you have given me no other choice but to continue. So in delight, I shall give you an illusion to behold!"

The ring brewed smoke much faster than before, spinning at what seemed to be its top speed at the haze began to expand.

No longer than ten seconds, however, something was encircling the ring with inhumane speed and, along the process, created a hurricane of some sorts that blew away the gases with the powerful wind as it went above the tornado and decided to spread into thin air like nothing ever happened.

Shocked, Aleister's mouth flew wide open and, still stricken, refused to glare at the nuisance responsible for stopping his attack.

Much to his horror, another one descended from above, landing directly in front of him and glared before leaping back and being sweeped by the tornado.

The man recognized it as the cat which Rin had as a Spirit Animal. Its glare was empty, but he knew that it held a deep message. He just didn't care enough to read along the lines. So when he saw how the small feline was swooped away by the huge gust, he felt a bit of relief.

But not for long as his perceptions about that went haywire, "I'm sure you're planning something. Why not stop beating around the bush?", he pressed, trying to have them confront him upfront and not play innocence.

Given the chance, he knew that they were up to something, quite obvious. But he kept on asking, what are they plotting if so?

And he was answered when the tornado suddenly stopped, its gales separating as if they were individual air cutters, sharp enough to even cut through thick objects.

And he immediately knew that the one responsible for that to happen was the cat, who had its claws protruded and now digging onto the ground deeply.

And he saw the dog sitting firmly at one side when the hurricane stopped, and he concluded that it was responsible for the tornado to appear.

"Hmm... clever, but not enough," he might've smiled a bit at the thought of having them come up with something brilliant, but quickly frowned and then with just one fan of his arm, the wind disappeared like nothing.

He smirked at his work, but never saw two kicks ready to strike behind him. So when he was about to comment on his artwork, he was pushed towards a nearby stump with a force equal to that of a wrecking ball.

Stumbling as he did, his eyes widened when he realized how he had let his guard down at such a measly trick by two ignorant buffoons, as he would've said so himself.

At the corner of his eyes, he saw Honoka and Rin high five at the supposedly successful plan that they meticulously thought.

"It was a success nya! Nice job Honoka-chan!", the orange-haired girl grinned widely at the hit that they just landed on the man who looked like someone more powerful than them.

And the older girl gave the younger one a proud smirk, "Hehe~ That should teach him not to underestimate us next time!", she puffed out her chest triumphantly.

 

Aleister coughed out blood as the two celebrated their work, glaring at them with twitching eyes and mouth as he stood up from his stupor, “Heh... I commend you for a job well done on getting over my nerves,” he laughed haphazardly, giggling manically with bloodshot eyes, “But my patience is running out, so you two better say your prayers before you fall!”

 

Blinking, Honoka frowned at him, “I think you hit your head in that stump earlier,” she pointed out obliviously, somehow making him think that she was toying with him.

 

Apparently, though, Rin thought of the same predicament, “Yeah nya. Maybe you hit your head so hard you thought that we were the ones on the losing end.”

 

Mouth agape, Aleister couldn’t believe what he had just heard from the two. It was as if they were mocking him. And he was not going to let them get away with this, “Why you...! Good for nothing imbeciles!”, he ran towards them at blinding speed, clearly intending to kill them at this rate.

 

They weren’t as fazed as he had hoped, more like they seemed to like where this was going, “Alright! Let’s see who’s more faster now!”, Honoka saw this as an opportunity to have a race, same for Rin.

 

And the other girls took their time to hide their giggles behind their hands. It was like watching comedy gold in a theater.

 

Aleister’s eye twitched it bewilderment. He was not liking their positive attitude on his negative intent. All of their attacks were taking its toll on him, yet here they are, making this situation into a game of tag.

 

He wasn’t going to let them get the upper hand. So he did the one thing he hated doing the most, yet was the most appropriate for this situation.

 

He ran away.

 

Eyes widening, both Honoka and Rin glanced at the man who had his tail tucked in between his legs as he ran towards the forest like a coward, “He’s getting away nya!”

 

”After him!”, deciding this, Honoka and her dog both sped off to catch the man that was running away from them.

 

Rin, not wanting to be outranked in the spur of the moment, had summoned her Spirit Animal. And not the cat this time—technically it is still a cat, but those on the top of the food chain.

 

She summoned a tiger.

 

And then, along with her new Spirit Animal partner, the two caught up towards Honoka and her partner as the four now tried to catch up to Aleister.

 

Silence engulfed the whole place as they were left to wallow on the destroyed environment. 

 

Snapping out of her trance, Nozomi glanced at Maki, who was also left to stare at the forest, “Maki, I think you should follow them,” she asked.

 

Flinching, the redhead barely heard the purple-haired girl’s request as she just produced a barely audible hum of approval before taking off with her Phoenix.

 

Now having three of them on the chase for Aleister, they were left without a choice but to wait for results.

 

”Okay, so what now?”, Nico asked out loud, still stuck to the ground. 

 

None of them had an answer to that, but apparently Nozomi was ready, “We’ll just track them down while we wait,” she said.

 

Confused, the black-haired girl looked at her with a raised brow, “Track them? How?”

 

Giggling, the green-eyed girl grinned at her, “Oh, that’s something that you’ll find out later,” she then walked towards the cottage, however wrecked it was.

 

Though there was still one matter left unsolved.

 

”Hey! Mind getting me out of here?!”, squirming uncomfortably, Nico yelled at them for not helping her up on the ground.

 

Stopping on her tracks, Nozomi took one last glance at Nico before whispering to Eli. The blonde’s eyes widened at whatever she was told of. The purple-haired girl started to walk back at the cottage while the blonde was left to sigh before walking towards Nico.

 

”Sorry about this,” she said to the black-haired girl before doing what Nozomi had told her to do.

 

Whatever it was, it left a bad taste in Nico’s mouth. And it wasn’t the meat this time.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm getting in the groove of Honoka and Rin as a duo. But I'm still new to writing so it's hard.
> 
> Anyways, if you all can be patient, then I cannot thank you all enough. Until next time then!


	23. Episode 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yoshi! I’ve managed to get my phone fixed so I’m back to normal now! And I’ve realized two things while I was out: one, I’m never putting up a summary ever again, if it’s only going to suck, then I’d rather stop. Second, it seems that the previous chapter was missing half of its contents. I dunno what happened but I’m fixing it. Just gotta remember all of the events...
> 
> So, for those who were patiently waiting for my comeback, here I am! Wahahahaha, warning though, the next chapters may be a bit boring since I’m rushing right now. But don’t worry, it’ll be just a few, and then back into the actions. 
> 
> So here, just some talk between the characters. While I’m figuring out the next lines from the previous chapter, just read this one. Hahahahah!

Nozomi and the others were currently gathered at their cottage’s living room, seated in a circular position as a signal device was placed at the table on their center, its headpiece twisting and turning as if picking up something that was currently on the move around the place.

 

Honoka and Rin were on the mission to catch Aleister, whom they had assumed as their target for their game. It was kind of hard for the others (Nico and Umi especially) to be reassured of their well-being so the purple-haired girl immediately sent Maki to watch after them while they’re at it, to which the redhead just accepted without much complications.

 

Right now, Kotori was lying on a laid out futon while Hanayo tended to her wounds: physically, mentally and emotionally. She wanted to focus on the grey-haired girl’s recovery before thinking about other things, but she kept her worries about her childhood friend as one of her priorities.

 

Umi was kneeling beside the unconscious teen, head hung low and staring at the pale face below her, hands clenched and gripping the bed tightly.

 

The others were worried of course (for Umi and Kotori, the former for her emotional stability with the latter for her overall health). But they had no other choice but to believe in Hanayo’s ability to heal their gravely injured friend.

 

So the rest, the older girls, were now the only ones staring at the mysterious flat device on Nozomi’s lap as the holder moved her fingers like she was typing something, imputing a code of some sorts on the portable machine.

 

The blonde was eager to know what her old friend was doing, so she scooted closer to the other girl and looked over her shoulder to inspect, “What is this thing?”, Eli asked ignorantly, blinking innocence into the slightly blinding screen.

 

Nozomi giggled at Eli’s attitude so she explained, “This is something that I managed to create some time ago. I call this a laptop,” she then continued to press on the buttons on the lower panel, “If I can input specific codes on these tabs, it’ll show whatever I want to know and see without moving!”

 

The blonde nodded in acknowledgement, observing the device like it was some sort of new discovery, which it was, “So you’re currently tracking Honoka and Rin with this?”, she pointed at the so-called laptop, to which Nozomi replied with a hum.

 

“Well, this isn’t so much as advanced yet so I can’t really keep track of them unless they have something connected to my laptop, which would be trailed by means of signal waves from this device currently connected to my netbook,” she motioned the machine sitting on top of the table at their center, which was still moving and locating.

 

Eli raised a brow, “Wait, elaborate what things can be found to track them?”, she queried, trying to think of objects that may possibly be on Aleister or the other two’s possession that may be detected by signals.

 

But her train of thoughts were cut off when she heard a snicker from Nozomi’s direction, “Ah, I had Rin take care of that for me,” she smirked knowingly with a mischievous front, making the blonde feel uneasy.

 

“Oi! Is that what you meant when you said that you had them take care of an errand for you?”, the disgruntled voice from across them said, the black-haired girl glared daggers at the purple-haired girl.

 

“Yes, I suppose so. And they did their job very well actually!”, praised Nozomi while clasping her hands, then pointing them at Hanayo, “First, I had Hanayo take care of Kotori, which I asked her if she could manage to lodge a special paper on her wrist, or any part of her body. So she did pretty well, If I do say so myself,” she continued.

 

Her words did manage to get Umi’s attention though, “Wait, what do you mean special paper?”, she inquired out loud as she began to look at Kotori’s arm if there was something like than on her skin.

 

And she saw it, attached on her wrist which Hanayo had grabbed earlier before she reacted in such a way that made her faint from too much fatigue.

 

It looked like a piece of paper, but dyed in the color of green. And unlike normal sheets, this one continued to glow in a shade of lavender and silver, emphasizing an immense energy coming from it.

 

Nozomi saw her gaze at one of her experiments so she explained what it was, “That is actually a pad imbued with both magic and aura. They have gunpowder inside, which is from the bullets of my guns,” she pointed at the guns on her belt, which was conveniently propped up on the table for the amber-eyed girl to see.

 

However, it elicited a rather furrowed reaction for the blue-haired girl, “How is tamping paper with combined magic and life energy a way for Kotori to stay sane? It doesn’t make sense,” she muttered confusedly, racking her brain for anything that may connect the two somehow.

 

So in order to retain her normal state of mind, Nozomi tried to breach the most likely basis of the matter, “I’m not sure sane is the correct term for what we wanted to accomplish on getting Kotori back to her normal self. More like...,” she tapped her chin with her finger, thinking of different terms to use, “...we just wanted her to snap out of her trance,” she settled.

 

She then brought back her focus onto the laptop, typing away but continuing on the explanation, “In any case, what Kotori underwent earlier was a series of traumatic disorders. Because of that, it may have caused her to think irrationally, and so much that it had also affected her way of feeling emotions. So she was mentally and emotionally unstable for the time being as of just a few moments earlier,” with a click on the device, Nozomi took out her guns on their holsters from the table, raising them high enough that she was craning her neck to look at it, “Likewise, her Spirit Animal’s behavior grew more wild for each passing moments that Kotori had to consume anger for Aleister. So it’s not really hard to figure out that Kotori’s out of control.”

 

“Still, that doesn’t explain why Kotori’s fine now,” Umi mumbled out harshly, unintentionally but still, “If I remember it correctly, you once explained to us that magic and aura clash with one another.”

 

Nozomi nodded at her words, but with her gaze softening this time, “Yes, I did explain that once when you and Honoka first went to us, and I meant what I said. None of those were false,” she then looped her finger around her gun’s trigger, twirling them with ease and experience, “So technically speaking, what I wanted to accomplish on placing that piece of paper on Kotori was to have her growing power collapse by the joint of magic and a foreign energy. The discord of different forms of power was the only way to snap Kotori out of her trance—”

 

“Still!”, Umi had cut her off with much force that her voice had echoed across the room, her fist clenched and trembling, so were her lips, “We could’ve resolved the matter in a peaceful way. Kotori... she was hurt because of that!”, she raised her tone once more.

 

But Nozomi didn’t change her straight expression, instead she had kept a firm gaze on the bluenette, “I know Kotori... she’s not the type of person to get angry for long periods of time. But it’s because because I know her—”, she stood up, then walked towards Umi and crouched down in front of her, showing her a solemn and melancholic facade, “—that I did those things. Kotori may be easily swayed by the atmosphere, but I’m confident that she will never get mad at anyone for things that are out of our control. I’ve known her for so many years that the death of her parents were gradually becoming one of our burdens as well.”

 

The purple-haired girl noticed the change of expression on Umi, once glaring but now soft, as she slowly turned her gaze towards Hanayo, “Kotori was always having nightmares about that day, and every time it made her cower on the bed, sweating and crying so early in the morning. Me and Hanayo knew that... deep down, we couldn’t replace her parents in her heart. But we had learned to lean on each other, to trust and understand one another. We were a family,” she whispered, a pink hue dusting her face as her smile widened at the thought.

 

And this made Umi still, eyes softening at Nozomi’s caring gaze towards the ashen-haired girl. It was the same look that she always sees on Honoka whenever she mentions her sister, or when Maki and Eli tell stories about how they came to meet and then decided that they’ll become a family.

 

It’s not like it made the bluenette jealous, no. But in a way, it had reminded her of how she used to care for her family when they were still around.

 

And it was nice to know that Nozomi was feeling the same for Kotori.

 

“I understand. I apologize for my misinterpretation of your actions. I may have jumped out of conclusions,” the amber-eyed girl faced Nozomi and bowed to the ground, the standard and formal way of apologizing.

 

And Nozomi had to blush away her face with waving arms in the air, “No need for apologies! It’s okay. I’m quite relieved to have someone like you take care of Kotori, so I appreciate your concern for her,” the green-eyed girl smiled once again, and it made Umi’s heart swell in happiness.

 

“It’s my pleasure.”

 

“Ne...,” once the warm atmosphere disappeared, all heads except for Hanayo turned towards Nico, who had her face covered by her bangs, but her lips were clearly twitching, “I get that you’re done with... whatever it is, but can you please get me out of this stupid thing?!”

 

Eli sighed while scratching her head, “I told you she’d be mad with this,” she mumbled to Nozomi, who tried to play nonchalant and give Nico the fakest smile she could muster.

 

“Oh Nicocchi~ As long as you’re off the ground, it doesn’t matter what position you’re in now right?”, the purple-haired teen hid her snicker behind her hand, trying to shield away her fit of giggles from the now angry girl.

 

Who was looking more angrier than ever at Nozomi’s comment, “Hah?! What do you mean off the ground?! For hell’s sake, the ground is still attached to me!! Furthermore, when I said get these things off of me, I meant release me from their binds and not just shovel them out from the dirt!”, she wailed and thrashed at a whining tantrum, but slightly limited since her limbs were still bounded by the red magic rings and her back was still attached to the ground—well, part of the grass, seeing as she was sitting on the sofa with dirt basically clinging behind her.

 

Umi and Eli sweat dropped at Nico’s childish behavior, whereas Nozomi just shrugged them off with a grin, “Well, it’s either back to the earth with you or stick with it in here.”

 

The bloody-irised girl glared at her with keen eyes, “Was that supposed to be a pun?”, she flatly stated.

 

The emerald-eyed girl laughed it up with a wave of her hand, “Unless you think it’s funny then yes, it is,” she did ignore the fake gag that Nico tried to do, but it still amused her in a way.

 

“Alright, back to the topic now,” Nozomi went back to her seat next to Eli, then propped herself back with her laptop back on top of her legs, continuing her typing spree with languid movement of her fingers in coordination with her eyes glued to the screen.

 

Feeling ignored (which she actually was), Nico clicked her tongue in distaste of Nozomi’s antics and faced the window with avid eyes, wandering her sight at somewhere, anywhere, that was not towards Nozomi, with Nozomi, or just having Nozomi as non-existent in the background.

 

Eli just sighed at Nico, who was now quietly glaring outside for reasons highly connected to her angry feelings, and to Nozomi who was as carefree as ever, if not more so.

 

“Oh yeah, I haven’t heard from you about how you and Nozomi met, Eli. It hadn’t really come to me until now that you two have known each other much younger than when Maki and I did,” Umi started, jolting from her position by Kotori’s side as she thought about what Eli and Nozomi had gone through over the course of their elopement at the Garden of Glass, or so the blonde had said.

 

The subject matter had Eli’s focus subdue as she kept a surprised gaze at Umi, “I haven’t? It must’ve slipped my mind since I’m trying to forget all that, but I suppose now can be a good time to discuss matters involving me and Nozomi,” she held her had over her chest in reminiscence of their dear childhood memories.

 

So with a careful nod from Nozomi, she explained their eventful memoirs from way back then.

 

“It started about thirteen years ago when I was sent to the Garden of Glass Facility. I was still about four years of age back then, so I haven’t really thought about not being able to go home once I set foot on that place. It didn’t really sink in, so I bore a liking to it back then.”

 

“I’m not really sure how long but I thought about taking a break from there since all they did to me was inject anesthesia on my wrist, which was not really helping with my outlooks about the place. It didn’t help that I was still a mere child slowly yearning for the comfort of her family, since I’ve had my little sister come into this world.”

 

“But my constant pleas for a short trip home went slack and ignored by the facilitators, and that was when I finally had the chance to think things through. That was the day I had found myself as a lonely and neglected child, trying to live things through with a positive outlook in life and, instead, had been living in hell that lasted two or three years.”

 

“To tell the truth, I’ve actually thought about hating my parents for a while. It didn’t take long for me to have them as one of the people I hated the most. It changed my judgment of people around me, and I never did have the privilege of leading a better life with a careful trudge.”

 

“Though I did get a second chance to think more when I heard a clerk talking to one of the doctors currently on duty with instilling insentience on me. He had the heart to admit that my parents tried to take me away from the facility, but the administrator quickly dismissed their attempts at taking me back.”

 

“It was at that moment that my family did care for me. And it was one of the light that had guided me to survival with a healthy premonition of my future. I took those drugs without any complaints and chose to be obedient, however I saw it wrong.”

 

“And when I reached the tender age of seven, three years since I was admonished in that facility, I had met Nozomi.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whooo! I’ve enjoyed my Christmas like no other. Felt like I was back in the old days! Hahahaha, I thought about updating on Christmas, but I don’t wanna rush my sched so I’m taking my time slowly. Hope you’ll bear with me.
> 
> Thanks for the constant support. I’ll keep up with the work. Hehehehe! Enjoy your holidays!


	24. Episode 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey Guys! Happy New Year. Hahaha, I know I’m a day early on updating but it’s a new year! Hahahahahah, I kinda haven’t slept well so I’ve been doing chapters! Hahaha!
> 
> Okay, so this is just some sort of past retelling by Eli, and it’s sorta great. But I’m telling you, the next few chapters are going to be boring cuz it’s all going to be just them talking in the house, and then switching to Honoka, Rin and Maki from time to time. There’s no action but it’s relevant nonetheless.
> 
> So, here it is! Hahah, hope you guys have a wonderful year this time!

_Ten years ago..._

_“Dammit! Where did that little brat go?!”_

_“‘Ey now, don’t gimme that look! I ain’t got nothin’ to do with ‘em squirt!”_

_“Tch! She’s pretty much just new to this environment, yet she treats the place like a playground!”_

_“Anyhow, we can’t let the boss find out about this ‘er he’ll get mad at us fer sure!”_

_The other personnel nodded at the man as they both rushed past the long corridor that was made up mostly of steel walls with furnished equipment on top of chiffoniers by the corners. The floor was marble and neatly mopped, but the heavy steps of the two men placed squinted dents on the tiles added by mud and dirt._

_Hearing fast stomps coming from behind, a small girl with golden blonde hair tied to a small ponytail took another route, probably one that would most likely be the opposite of where the facilitators are headed._

_With her hair swishing from side to side as she trudged towards the exit doors, her sapphire blue eyes twinkled with curiosity at the news she had currently heard from gossips taking a round trip across the institute._

_“Hey, have you heard? We’ve got another one of those children with animals in their body! And that this one is an orphan! So we can definitely lay off on the “lying to their parents” thing”, a woman in her mid 20s entertained the woman by the counter with an amused face and a hidden smirk._

_The clerk let out a gasp in surprise but chuckled right after, “Are you sure? That sounds convenient. Now I have one less family to greet with fraudulence,” she mused._

_And as they both laughed their throats out, the little girl went past them with an unamused look, brushing off their existence but keeping their words stuck on her head._

_‘A new one... huh...,’ she thought with a solemn face, feeling pity well up in the pits of her stomach at the thought of another victim being held captive in this hellish prison._

_But it also made her feel somewhat joyed at the thought of having one person that she would at least get along with. There were only adults going around the building, and she was the only lab rat currently at their disposal._

_And she wanted to meet this one who was said to be causing trouble even though she was only admonished here just yesterday._

_So without any delay, the little blonde girl opened the double doors towards outside—or more precisely, the outdoor part of the place. It was a dome-like facility, with half of it built into a laboratory and the other half a garden with flowers growing across the edges and zipping towards the center like a maze._

_It wasn’t confusing, but more or less inconvenient._

_But for the blonde, it was one of the things that she was rather grateful of as it had helped her in escaping from her daily appointments from time to time._

_So right now, she is trying to find this newcomer through the irregular pathways of the meandering labyrinth._

_And for a split second, she kind of felt sympathy for those doctors she had caused trouble into having to find her in this horrible jagged path._

_Because she was accustomed to having secured some eligible hiding places, the girl thought of them and tried to pinpoint at which the newcomer might come and hide. It could be a lot tougher since there are a lot of hidden grottos that could be found here, some at corners or at the edge while most were very dependent on instilling secrecy with entrances involving passing through shrubs and bushes with most likely thorns surrounding the area closest to the path._

_If this new person were to hide on one of these secret hollow, the girl would have no other choice other than to search them high and low, in and out of thick bushes._

_And the melting heat of the midday sun didn’t help in her lethargic search. So she proceeded further without any more qualms at the task at hand._

_Normally, the blonde wouldn’t go as far as to look for someone she was not acquainted to, as she was a person whose levelheaded personality rivaled that of an adult. In which case, she was treated as a person much older than that of her age, being greeted by higher ups at the corridor more often than those who worked at the counters or even those who guard the entrance and emergency rooms._

_It made her feel more important, but not in a way that she had felt pride swelling in her chest at the CEO’s appreciation of her standard intelligence. Much more on the side where she felt a sense of longing for her family, who had unwillingly brought her to this sick place for a cure to her... curse, as they would speak of the matter. It was only for the betterment of her life._

_Yet it gave her nothing but despair and had her deprived of hope and freedom._

_‘Enough of this,’ the little girl shook her head to clear her mind from negative vibes and kept on walking and crawling and passing through shrubs in hopes of finding the one she was looking for._

_Unlike her, this new kid seemed to be more of the playful type, giving her a sense that this child would definitely be a boy in all standards, but she held on to a safe bet of having them as a girl. After all, not all mischievous children are boys._

_So with a mindset of getting to know someone she considers not on her level of wisdom, she thought of another batch of places that would be considered as ‘almost impossible’ to find in the place. Considering that she has already been here several times, of course she already withdrew those that were common and easy to find._

_Elaborating on her next locational spot, she heard a rustle coming from the direction just a few paces from her left. This, without a doubt, came from her Spirit Animal’s sensitive ears._

_‘Of course. Why didn’t I think of this before?’, she shook her head in disbelief at what she had disregarded beforehand. She could’ve let out her partner for help much earlier. It could’ve lessened the work, and she would’ve found the kid by now._

_Perhaps she had just wanted to give efforts to her own actions._

_Right now though, since she had already thought about this, she summoned her Spirit Animal with a straight stance and an outstretched arm, a glowing blue magic circle appearing behind her, flatly pressed against her back. No words were needed for her partner to jump out from the ring as the white fox swished its tail eagerly at its master’s presence._

_The blonde turned around to pet the animal on the head, brushing its fur with her hand gliding in a comfortable movement, “Can you help me on this one?”, she softly asked._

_With an approving nod of its head, the little girl smiled and had it lead her towards the slightly inaudible noise from earlier._

_The fox up and went, straight at where they were currently at, then turned left at the same direction where she had predicted the sound had originated from. It was just a straight path from then on, which was not that complicated at all for the girl._

_But she was confused when the fox stopped and sat at the bush blocking their way. It was already a dead end, with a path on their left and right sides being the only ones left to be searched as they were the only ones found on the left hemisphere of the garden._

_The girl kneeled down and patted the fox on the head, “What is it?”, she raised a brow when her Spirit Animal wagged its tail in recognition of her question, but not exactly answering it._

_Its tail seemed to project somethingalong the lines of being a dowsing machine, as it swished from left to right consecutively at an even pace, probably still contemplating on which of the two paths were the one bearing a kid hidden somewhere._

_The blonde hummed in amusement at the fox’s confusion of the circumstances. She had never seen her Spirit Animal this berated and calculating before, but it did appeal to her as a cool and strong point. Somehow she managed to come up with an idea just to ease its worries._

_“Ne, why don’t I take the right path while you take the left? That way, we’ll see this new kid at one point and have the other come back once they’ve been found,” she said, and saw that the fox hung its tongue out and happily barked as a sign of agreement._

_She smiled as she instructed her Spirit Animal to bark as loudly as it could if ever it had found their target, and that she’ll just blow a whistle if the new kid happened to be on her route. With a nod of agreement from both parties, they went on the parallel paths and searched along the way._

_The bushes were thorny, but no signs of floret were visible. Unlike what she had seen on televisions or just by the sidewalk, flowers, or most commonly roses, were present whenever she passed by gardens. It was rather unappealing for her that no matter the thrill of the maze, having flowers absent lowers its charm._

_And besides, having to crawl through bushes with thorns is not a great way of seeing the beauty of things._

_Scratching her thoughts about thorns and itchy shrubs, the blonde wandered through the straight narrow path in front of her, trying to glare at every inch as possible as to not leave a place unattended. She was as observant at her peak, no less from someone who had been isolated from the world and had nothing to do other than to be entertained by the walls of the lab._

_She heard shrugs from the bushes on her right as she quickly shifted her gaze at the rustling noise. It wasn’t everyday that she heard something like that from a place such as this, seeing as there were no longer animals that are existing in this world except for inside of the human body._

_It would be kind of funny if it was a Spirit Animal though—_

_‘Wait!’, the girl thought for a second, ‘The chances of this kid having a Spirit Animal is no less of 100%. Meaning if they do then...,’ more or less, the rustling sound could lead her to seeing a wild Spirit Animal that this kid had formed._

_Either way, if she did happen to cross paths with the summoner or the one summoned, then there are chances that her fox may have found the other. It will still go in their favor._

_Now, if only she can catch this target..._

_“Looking for me?”_

_The blonde yelped in surprise as she had found herself out of balance and quickly fell onto one of the smaller shrubs by her side, showing a pained expression as she had just fallen onto a thorny patch of leaves._

_Glancing upward, she saw a child (about the same age as her, she presumed), with deep purple hair tied onto low twin braids and strikingly radiant evergreen eyes that gazed at her playfully. Her figure shadowed the girl below her from the sunlight, giving the blonde all the time in the world to fully grasp who was currently towering over her._

_And her currently painful situation._

_But hearing the soft giggles chiming from above soothed her stinging nerves and had her mesmerized at the girl in front of her rather than at her excruciating position, “Need a hand there?”, the purple-haired girl held out her hand as she voiced out a tone with some sort of dialect combined in the usual standard accent._

_And it only made the blonde forget about her distraught condition for a few seconds._

_Grasping the offered hand to lift her up, she gradually took it and had herself being pulled up from her hurtful seating arrangement._

_And being lifted up from her spot seemed to have her memory of being injured occur all at once, “Ack—!”, she bit her lower lip in an attempt to at least stop herself from yelling displeasure at her bleeding arms._

_And the pretty girl in front of her didn’t help in the least about giving her some space for feeling pain._

_“You don’t look well. Why don’t we find some other place to get you cleaned up?”, obviously, the blonde was well aware of her current condition, but as far as she can see, her stressed thoughts were plagued by the sweet melody of the emerald-eyed girl’s voice, enamored with a charm that she couldn’t quite grasp at the moment._

_Which is why the only affordable response she could muster was a feeble nod and a limp slouch of her back._

_Again, this caused the other girl to laugh at her situation, then grabbed her wrist and whisked her away to who knows where. The blonde seemed to care even less about their destination, all of her focus went onto the hand now tightly gripping her wrist._

_Such an interesting spark, she would presume._

_But her usual senses kicked in and she withheld her stand to get the other girl’s attention, which had her glance back at the blonde with a quizzical gaze, “Are you familiar with where you’re leading me to?”, she asked with force, unintended but a slight slip of the tongue occurs every once in a while, she reasons._

_Unfortunately, the purple-haired girl in front of her didn’t seem to have the intelligence of girls of their age and has this mischievous look adoring her face, “I can guess~! Besides, you seem to know the way so even if we do get lost, you’ll be able to lead us back yeah?”, her peppy and cheerful tone got on the blonde’s nerves as she kept a focused glare onto the green-irised kid._

_It wasn’t that she was annoyed—well, she was actually, but the more appropriate description of her feelings were that she was just underhanded of her very confident words. She didn’t like boastful people, much less a kid of her age. It was distasteful to her._

_But unlike those spoiled brats from the city, this girl held an aura that showed the truth and that her ideals were firm and immovable._

_It all came down to the blonde’s judgment on her._

_But no matter how intense or how long she glared at the other girl, she can’t seem to figure out her personality. She looked the part of those energetic kids, but she held an aura like no other. Somethingalong the lines of being mysterious, as she would’ve said with the lack of further words to describe the term._

_The blonde girl couldn’t help but be amazed at such a unique character. She was surprised that this purple head easily approached her, whereas it was supposed to be the other way around. And she didn’t look like someone who would behave in such a manner._

_To her, she would’ve made the part of being the shy type._

_“Ne...,” perking up from her train of thoughts, the blonde glanced straight towards the other girl, emerald eyes peered at sapphire ones._

_Gulping down her nerves, the injured girl formed a thin line with her mouth in an attempt to stay calm, “What is it?”, she answered without cracking, as straight and sober as possible._

_She stayed quiet for two to three years. It would most likely have her build up an effort to get her grip together for most of the time. Hiding her nervousness was child’s play for her._

_But how come uttering words to this girl had her attempts at keeping her cool feel more heavy and difficult all of a sudden?_

_“Can I ask for your name?”, the sweet and gentle tone of the byzantine-haired girl felt like heaven for the blonde._

_And then all of her walls she built up for three years crumbled. With just the sound of her voice._

_The smile on the other girl’s face made her stoic facade crack like they were no longer as hard as they were before. Even just the glow on her face made the blonde weak on her knees. Heaven knows she had no answer to this predicament, and that she’d probably need a few decades to get past this lovely creature’s attraction._

_Nevertheless, she hesitated on giving out her name. It was the first time that someone from this place had even cared about her, much less asking for her name. So just handing it out carelessly could lead to a bad ending on her part._

_But she supposed she could trust this girl, no matter how much she looked perplexing._

_“Eli. Ayase Eli,” she sighed in the end, trying to just focus on her wounds. Or in short, averting her gaze to anywhere but the girl in front of her. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest, and she had no idea what was driving it crazy._

_Perhaps the sense of giving out her name to a stranger was what caused such, she told herself._

_But she soon proved herself wrong when the emerald-eyed girl grinned from ear to ear and got her attention by grabbing both of her hands into her own, being gentle with the wounds on the blonde’s limbs, “Then, can I call you Elicchi?”, she half jested, half teased, the blonde couldn’t even identify which._

_And it dawned to her that this strange kid just gave her a nickname._

_“W-What?!”, she spluttered, face now fully flushed and her solemn expression now became a blushing mess. Her voice went into a high pitch in shock, reflex kicking into action as she leaped about a few feet away from the other lass._

_Giggling at her reaction was probably the most embarrassing moment that the blonde has had for approximately two years now. This stranger just gave her a nickname and she reacted accordingly to the green-eyed girl’s scheme, “I’ll take that as a positive reaction from you. So...,” surprising the blonde yet again, she did one thing that the flustered girl could’ve proven her thoughts from._

_She sped from her spot towards the blonde’s within just a split second, and the blonde didn’t even bat an eye as she clearly saw how the new kid zoomed past the rocky ground and straight towards her in half a second._

_Bringing her face closer to the blonde’s, the purple-haired girl smiled, “My name is Toujou Nozomi. Nozomi is fine since you let me call you by your first name!”, she held out her arm and slightly tugged the blonde from behind and had her captive by her clasp._

_The blonde, Eli, couldn’t possibly explode into a tomato face more than she is as of the moment, but the more the other girl, Nozomi, spoke, the more hotter her face grew. And it was driving her insane._

_But she supposed that having her name was enough to get her to relax._

_“Fine... Nozomi,” she shuffled her feet and withdrew her gaze towards the ground before uttering, “But... where in the world did you get the name Elicchi?”_

_Sensing her uncomfortable posture, Nozomi giggled and placed a finger on her lips, “Hi~mi~tsu~”, she winked with such purpose that it made the blonde’s legs go jelly. And she wasn’t even trying._

_“Seriously, tell me!”, blushing in all of her sanity, Eli tried to push for an answer just to calm down her growing embarrassment._

_And the purple-haired girl looked as if she was enjoying herself from teasing the blonde, “As I’ve said, it’s a secret!”, she retorted back, skipping as she went past the blonde with a playful glint in her eyes._

_Huffing a puff of breath, Eli pouted, “Nozomi~!”, she whined, eliciting another fit of giggles from the other girl._

_They were getting close, it seemed. And two animals were watching them from afar: one white fox and the other a brown raccoon dog._

_And the girls didn’t notice a thing._

_Except Nozomi, seeing as she spared a glance towards the two animals and grinned at them cheerfully, having them rush and follow the two within a radius._

_Things went pretty well for them as days went by. And it ended with them being closer to one another._

_Until three years later when they were driven apart._

* * *

“Well, that’s about it,” Eli finished with a sigh, famished with her storytelling.

 

And with a snort, Nico glared, “No wonder you two act like you’re a married couple being driven away. You two were married already and have been driven apart! The heck?!”

 

Hiding a snort, Nozomi continued to stare at her laptop, but not before glancing at Eli’s blushing face, ‘I guess it was worth the time for some backstories,’ she thought to herself before bringing her focus back onto the device, ignoring the bickers from the background.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so here’s the thing, I’m kind of jumbled about the years in this story. When did Kotori, Nozomi and Hanayo meet exactly and at what age were they? When did Nozomi and Eli got separated? I dunno if you all noticed how my years are being crazy and stuff in the story, but I sure did. Haha, and it’s making my head go boom, and I haven’t even bought firecrackers! Hahaha! 
> 
> So sorry if it made some of you confused though. But if you don’t wanna make your heads spin, then just ignore the timeline. Hahaha!
> 
> See you next week!


	25. Episode 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yooooooooooo! Hey guys, this is just some sort of... a PoV from Umi. This chap, along with the next two or three, will most probably be boring as it features just about how they go on with the night until daytime came along. There’s nothing serious going on and they’re just chatting away. But it’s still necessary for the plot so please bear with me. The fight scenes are ongoing right now and it may get me to about the next three weeks before I update with them on each other’s necks.
> 
> Sooooooooooo, have a good day!

Umi slept through minutes, not hours. Every time she manages to shut her eyes, they would always seem to flicker by the minute, either by the violent billows of the wind outside or the unusual rickets of noise from every corner of nowhere.

 

Having a rabbit and an eagle as Spirit Animals were really handy, she thought. But getting keener senses were driving her crazy. Everything seemed to bother her, even just the tiny whisper of the air from a small chink on the wall caught her attention every now and then.

 

Sighing, she just glanced at the girl beside her, who was sleeping through the night like the world’s problems never existed. It was just like two weeks ago when they first met, and she reminisced how much of that she had missed. They were still ignorant people before, Honoka and her, and time went by as they learned more from their new friends.

 

She kept on mulling over things until she came to a conclusion that maybe sleep just didn’t seem to get a grip on the bluenette, so she just sat up on the bed and try to stare off into space, hoping that maybe that’ll put her to sleep.

 

But every time she’d doze off or think of other things, her eyes always drift towards the sleeping brunette. It was roughly the second time around that she’d gone to bed with Kotori, and yet it seemed like she was used to it already.

 

The girl did help to soothe her alarming heartbeat, or sometimes the cause of it was the girl herself. Of course, Umi couldn’t get this thought out of her head, seeing as she already came to a conclusion that she was, indeed, in love with the ashen-haired girl.

 

And seeing her in pain from earlier...

 

She just couldn’t stand it. The way Aleister talked about her parents as if they were just pawns that we’re meant to be trashed as soon as they were unwanted, unneeded. She knew first hand how this was, seeing as the confirmation of her parents’ deaths were still unknown, but she knew at heart that the man was behind her Mother and Father’s passing a few years ago. She had no proof but her instincts were enough.

 

She was mature enough to accept that her parents were no longer here.

 

But the way Aleister had easily passed the topic to Kotori about her parents were too much for the poor girl to handle, and it caused her such aggravation that her self esteem didn’t seem as important as it was if she had never been told of such cruelty.

 

The burden of being carriers of animals inside their bodies were a lot to take in, and Kotori must’ve gotten it rough on her part, seeing as she had no one to support her when she had discovered about her Spirit Animals. Unlike Umi and Honoka who had their parents by their side to accompany them, the golden-eyed girl had no one to lean on. She had depended on herself, became stronger by herself, and knew the world alone as she walked the ground without any companions.

 

That is, until she met Nozomi and Hanayo, Umi remembered. They had each other’s back, they said. They’ve been family for more than six years and until now, that bond had never been cut off. They journeyed through life with each other. And had conquered everything in their way.

 

She was grateful for them after that, and she thought about what they had discussed last night that had made them all riled up.

 

Especially in the case of Honoka, who seemed to have a knack for gaining attention to herself unintentionally. And with the addition of Rin, who seemed to equal her childhood friend in terms of spirit and energy, the two had done more than what they were expecting from them.

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

_“Then if you two were stuck under that... whatever weird place you were sent to, how come you were separated?”, asked Nico, who was still stuck with mud and dirt solidly tying her on her limbs and torso. The red rings were intact, making her movements limited, but verbal exchange shouldn’t be a problem for her._

 

_Eli blinked at the black-haired girl’s question, then solemnly stared at the ground with a frown, “Well, things have changed. I mean, we were close back then. We’ve been best friends for three years. Just... being with each other was enough. Until one day, he destroyed the place,” she bitterly ended, biting her lower lip._

 

_She ended there, and the room became dead silent after that._

 

_Seeing as no one dared to initiate any words, Nico proved to be someone who hated to be hanged in the air, “Who?”, was her one word reply, and yet the twitch in a Eli’s hand justified how that simple question held more answers that meets the eye._

 

_“I don’t want you to take this the wrong way but...,” the blonde swallowed back a heavy breath and closed her eyes, “...the one who destroyed the Garden of Glass Facility was... the Magician himself.”_

 

_Again, silence sunk across the whole room. Nozomi unconsciously placed a hand on the nape of her neck, the scar barely visible but still sensitive. The silence was just too thick. It was given, of course, but the others could only patiently wait for Nico to get back at Eli for accusing her ‘friend’ as the one who destroyed their foundation._

 

_But instead of angry jabs and unfavorable comebacks, the ravenette laughed with tears in her eyes, probably from joy and humor, “Hah! I knew it!”, she jeered._

 

_Her positive outlook at the statement made the others look at her weirdly, “Uh... you’re not mad?”, Eli asked cautiously at her fellow friend who was at the other side of the room, still fighting her giggles that were threatening to burst out from her body._

 

_“Hah? What the hell would I be mad about?”, Nico smirked mischievously, something that shouldn’t be shown on her face given the atmosphere, “That’s something that he would definitely do, you know. I’m not someone who likes to judge—I do from time to time, but his case is simply just a matter of understanding his objectives.”_

 

_“Wow... never thought I’d hear something sensible come out from you...,” the blonde put up a quizzical look on her face, but it quickly turned into a sour look when she saw how Nico handled her deadpanned voice._

 

_“Well, I have been with him for a week! That’s probably enough memories of him to go by. Besides,” she stared at the ceiling, a far away look on her face, “he also destroyed the facility I was in. So the fact is: he just so happens to take a liking on making laboratories explode!”_

 

_Her last words made the others sweat drop, but they supposed that it was better than having her taking the fact on the wrong way._

 

_Eli coughed in between their distressed states, “Well, I guess it’s not as serious as we thought. But the fact remains that he had motives regarding his hunts for facilities like yours and ours,” she closed her eyes and crossed her arms, her lips forming a thin line from being pressed together._

 

_Nico hummed at her statement as she frowned, “Well, as far as I know, he’s been goofing off ever since he’s with me. I only saw him get serious whenever it involves Spirit Animals or just the mention of them,” she then formed a side smirk with a dangerous glint in her eyes, “I bet he’s repenting for his sins yeah? Like, sure, he’s gotten himself into a really deep hole but clearly he’s got the sensitivity to feel guilty!”_

 

_Seeing her getting all suggestive about the Magician’s feelings got the other to think otherwise of their current thoughts about the black-haired girl, ‘She makes light of too many things!’, they all thought in unison._

 

_“But I don’t think it’s enough to get him consumed by darkness,” the red-eyed girl’s brows straightened out as she had this soft expression on her face, “He’s got this aura of a really blunt and straightforward person. Surely someone like him is easier to read than any other person otherwise. Besides,” she then wore a smile with a hint of fondness in them, “he did say he trusts me. So who’s to say he’s really just a guy with motives unknown but with good intentions?”_

 

_That got the others to think second thoughts about their opinions on the Magician. Nico’s observations weren’t the same as Umi’s or Eli’s but they were enough to get her to retort back misleading judgments about him. So they just left the subject as is with Nico’s reigning comeback for her one week friend._

 

_“If you really believe in him as much as you’re showing right now then there’s no reason for us to give our feedbacks about him,” Umi gave the ruby-eyed girl a smile that made the older teen sigh in relief._

 

_“Thanks. Can’t believe I’ve gotten riled up with him being our topic. It’s like arguing with a dead person,” her bluntness was kind of getting in the others’ nerves but they just let her be._

 

_Back to Nozomi, she had one of her brow raised confusedly at the screen, lips pursed to the side, “Huh... they’ve gotten quite far now...,” she uttered for the others to hear as she rushly pressed the buttons on the keyboard like they weren’t difficult._

 

_The blonde took a peak at the purple-haired girl’s work, “Really? How far have they reached?”, she asked out of curiosity, a bit of worry and anger mixed in her tone of voice._

 

_Mostly wanting to know of her childhood friend’s current whereabouts, Umi stood up from her seat and gazed at the screen of Nozomi’s device, “They’ve almost reached the areas right below Mount Fuji... I don’t know if I should be worried about them or be proud of their achievement...,” she sweat dropped when she saw that their chase wasn’t looking too good on their part, seeing as Aleister seemed to lead them somewhere very much far away._

 

_Sighing, Nozomi moved her fingers as they glided across the buttons in a swift motion, “It’s a good thing I’ve got a tracking device set up on Aleister and Rin, else I’d be unable to detect if they’re still on his tracks.”_

 

_Umi hummed and scrunched her eyes at the red dots that represents Aleister and Rin, one was a few millimeters away from the other, but they were close enough in regards to actual distance. But something was wrong, she observed._

 

_“Aren’t they... a bit too fast?”, she asked out of the blue, gaining all the attention of the others._

 

_Eli placed her fingers on her chin in thought, “Hmm... it’s true that they’re literally just driving past their ways like they were... Wait, don’t tell me—?!”_

 

_Wasting no time, Nozomi quickly got onto what they were about to say and typed onto her laptop some undetermined patterns as more tabs flowed on the screen with wave lengths and scales projected in them._

 

_“If the chips are responding normally, then they’re most likely breaking through mountains and cutting trees as they gave chase to Aleister, who also seemed to be trying to bulldoze the entire land off the face of the planet,” the purple-haired girl frowned at just the mere thought of thinking how Aleister (with the addition of Rin and Honoka) just swiped off obstacles in his way like they were flies bugging him._

 

_Raising a brow, Nico shrank her gaze at them, “So they’re wrecking the whole place, eh? Hah! I’d like to see the looks of the entire world once they know that their supposed leader wreaked havoc across the land!”, she snorted with the face of valiance._

 

_To which Eli responded with a bored facade, “That’s not funny,” she deadpanned before resuming back to observing the movements of their comrade, “At least it looks like they’re about to get a grip on him. They’re just a few meters away from getting him captive.”_

 

_“But they’re also responsible for the... destruction of nature’s preserved land,” Umi hesitantly uttered, showing hints of utter despair at the thought of her childhood friend and one of her newfound friends as the ones being shown on billboards at the city streets._

 

_Nozomi kept on typing whilst darting her eyes on the screen from one point to another, “They’ll be fine as long as they keep a low profile and stay hidden. Not everyone is going to find out that they were the ones causing a massive wreckage across the entire continent,” she spelled out without even the slightest peak at the others, gluing her pupils on the screen._

 

_“Heh! Who cares? If they did find out, we’ll just have to make Aleister pay for all the damage he’s done, which we’ve been sentenced with by the people,” was the arrogant boast of none other than Nico, who’s triumphant smirk rivaled that of a champion._

 

_“I’m afraid that’s not going to be easy,” Eli shook her head in dismay, stressing herself over the actions of the two energetic gingers._

 

_Nico sneered, “Pshu~ C’mon! It’s gonna be fine!”, she waved in off like it was nothing to be concerned off._

 

_Umi glared at her with a piercing gaze of her brown eyes, “And just how are you so sure about it?”_

 

_“Easy. Because they’re idiots.”_

 

_Everyone stared at her and blinked once, “What?”_

 

_“And it’s because they’re idiots that they’re gonna pull it off quite nicely.”_

 

_Something told them that her widening grin wasn’t as reassuring as her words, but they all had to trust her, even if it kills them._

 

_Literally._

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

Umi sighed.

 

“I guess it’s worth the shot,” she muttered helplessly into her pillow, burying all thoughts of panic and anxiety.

 

If Nico said that they were fine, then she’d just have to get on with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not sure how to place this well, but spoilers: the arsonist is almost underway to being revealed. Of course, they are all going to fight, except for Kotori. At first I was planning on making Kotori the MC in this story. But as time passed, I mostly seemed to focus on Nico or Nozomi or Umi. It’s a very very hard decision for me because Kotori needs more time to be told on her point of view seeing as the others already have theirs. As far as I’m concerned, I’ll be going on a route that’s hard for me to do, but it’s the best way for Kotori to take the stage.
> 
> I’m still thinking about their powers. I’m probably not explaining things well seeing as I’m still an amateur (and a 16 year old) but I’m doing my best to keep this story up and going so even though it’s a tad bit boring, then I’m finishing it even if it takes me years! But it won’t take long as it may only reach about 40 chapters at max. I’m still thinking about it. Hahaha!
> 
> Anyways, thanks for reading. Till next time!


	26. Episode 25

"Rin-chan! You take the right! I'll take the left!"

"Got it nya!"

"Urgh..."

Maki spared one last glance at the two bubbling brunettes before they traversed into a fork with one on each path. Since she was sent to follow them, she didn't know who to follow exactly if they were to split up.

Besides that...

"I'm tired...," the redhead muttered lazily, trying to concentrate on her grip on the bird's claws. They'd been following Aleister since yesterday evening and even when it was already dawn, both Rin and Honoka were in high spirits as if they have never been tired during the whole chase.

And Maki, on the other hand, was holding for dear life on whether she should take a quick nap and catch up to them after a few hours of snoozing off her restlessness, or just continue to endure her fatigue and move on with finding ways on how to keep an eye on both of them while they're split up.

'Well, they're both heading towards Aleister, so...,' Maki thought for a while, and then she settled with just going for the man's location as she had deducted that the two will eventually meet up at where he was anyway.

So she had her Phoenix speed up to reach Aleister's velocity and in no time, she was practically just above him.

On Honoka's path, she was swimming through the woods, dodging trees along with her Spirit Animal, who was agile enough to pick up speed along the way, even with the obstacles in front.

On Rin's route, she and her second Spirit Animal were headed straight for a river, which was vertical along their straight path. She had precisely stepped over rocks to reach the other side like they were child's play, while the tiger pounced high enough that in one leap, it was already by the other end.

However different their paths were, they were still headed for the same target, which was Aleister, who had no trouble at all with cutting down trunks and smashing rocks with just a swipe of a hand, making it look like he was just bothered by flies and such.

But amidst their several ways of reaching their target, they were striving forward without as much as anything holding them back.

So it's good to say that they were doing just fine.

 

 

 

"Huh... weird..."

Nozomi, who was already up by the time the clock started to hit at exactly 5 in the morning, widened her nearly shutting eyes at the blaring screen while mustering up the strength to keep her focus up. 

Everyone was still asleep, as they were in their consecutive rooms: Hanayo in hers, Eli having her very own (to which Umi complained about how they had lied to her on the very first day about their rooms unavailable for the time being), and then Kotori and Umi on the ashen-haired girl's area. 

Nico, who was too tired to even get up from the couch she was sitting on last night as her limbs were still bound by clasps, remained in her seat while dozing off. Somehow thought, she managed to even stay asleep at a sitting position like it wasn't bothering her at all.

Nozomi snoozed off for an hour or two at most before she got up, made coffee and then stared at the laptop with lidded eyes. Mug in hand, she sipped from time to time whilst imputing keys with her free hand. Her slouched figure was worrying, but she made sure to freshen up before the others had woken up.

Scrunching her face at the sight, she mumbled, "How come Rin moved to another direction? Aleister was just straight ahead. So if she did, then...," she sighed heavily before drinking a mouthful of caffeine, chugging down the amount in one big gulp before placing down the mug to start typing on the board.

Since the room was dark and the sun was yet to rise, the living room of the cottage only came alive with a faint light coming from the screen of the device. The radiation bounced off from the ceiling, probably about an eighth of the room was lit up with a soft glow. 

But even when the light wasn't so much as blinding around the whole room, it still bothered a sleepyhead who had her head down for the duration of the whole night, making her hiss in pain when the girl tried to lift her head in hopes of being able to look straight.

"Dammit... The hell, why am I still stuck with this stupid muck?", Nico complained at such an early notice that it almost made Nozomi laugh out her sleep.

Almost.

The purple-haired girl just smiled at her weakly, "Nicocchi, it's still early. Keep your voice low," she muttered.

The black-haired girl harrumphed, "Yeah, it's pretty early. Which is why I'm bothered by how early you're up and going with that... thing," she pointed at the laptop with narrowed eyes, from fatigue and accusation.

Giggles came out from Nozomi as she covered her hand to her mouth, "Oh, don't mind me. I'm just monitoring how Maki-chan and the other two are doing."

"Yeah. They sound like tough ones, huh? Keeping up with Aleister all day... Kinda makes me wanna join in on the fun if I wasn't so much as attached to this bloody soil!", she barked through gritted teeth, having Nozomi smile at her efforts of keeping her inside voice.

"I'm sure they'll succeed with whatever plan they came up with."

"Pshu~ Yeah right, their plan kinda sucks right now. They can't just move out from a line," the other girl spat, facing the wall across the room, "If they did then they'd possibly miss Aleister's movements—"

"Wait! Say that again!", enlightened for a split second, Nozomi's body shot straight up as she got up from her seat and went in to pin down Nico with furrowed brows.

The black-haired girl cowered slightly at the closeness of the older girl before sighing, "Look, even if they all are equal when it comes to speed, they don't know Aleister, likewise with vice versa. So with that then there'd be a chance for that man to change courses while the other two are still zooming up to meet at an endpoint that would quite possibly have no one directed there," she shrugged, trying to maintain her smugness at the thought of her thinking strategies.

Paying attention to the words that the red-eyed girl said, Nozomi frowned. She went back to her seat on the other side of the table and plopped down onto the couch before proceeding with staring back at her laptop, "If your guesses are correct—"

"—Which they are—", Nico cut off smoothly, but Nozomi paid no heed and continued.

"—then it'll most likely end in a failure," the purple-haired girl sighed.

Nico huffed, "I guess it's game over for them, huh?"

Abruptly standing up, Nozomi took out her belt on the desk, "Not yet," she uttered with determination, smirk implanted on her face.

Reminding herself that fighting with the other girl in terms of judgment, Nico backed down on the debate, "So what's your plan?", she asked, uninterested.

"Hmm... You'll see~"

 

 

 

"Tch! He's changing directions!", Maki bit her lip frustratedly, thinking of plans on how to catch the man after her head, who had altered ways and was now headed towards the city.

Honoka and Rin were both engrossed on crossing paths with Aleister at some point up ahead that they haven't thought about him switching ways.

Even Maki, as she had reluctantly admitted, had never come across the possibility of him doing such actions. It would be a waste to head down and tell the other two about his plan, as it would require too much of their time.

Besides, if she took off her eyes for just a moment, Aleister may have the advantage and take the chance to speed up and outrun Maki from her spying on him from above.

As hard as she wanted to decline, the redhead had no other choice but to get Honoka and Rin back on track and find other ways to pick up Aleister from the time they've lost.

So when she was about to have her Phoenix go down onto the ground, she spotted how the two gingers suddenly shifted movements and were generally headed towards the riverbank. 

And so far during the whole chase, now was the time to get devastated.

"What are they doing?!", she practically hissed with curiosity and irritation. Maki, for the love of her own life, twitched an eye at the other two as she prevented her Spirit Animal from descending any further and, instead, had it hover above the two on the river. She was, after all, more than curious as to know what they're both up to.

So far, they only stopped by the trees nearest to the flowing water. They sent words that were far from Maki's range of hearing, and their actions were more confusing than their unheard speech.

And much to her dismay, the two had leaped in, both along with their partners being stormed away by the fast current of the unusual river. 

With a heavy heart and a sweaty forehead, Maki had the Phoenix fly straight ahead towards the path of the body of water, thinking of blocking the path and prevent them from drowning any further.

Just now was one of those stupid acts that the redhead had mostly caught up on Nico, who was dumb, numb, and very annoying. Unlike Rin and Honoka, she doesn't seem to care about the words coming out of her mouth, whether they were curses or just plain rude. 

But because those actions were from Rin and Honoka, whom she had probably thought about being as idiotic as that petite lycanthrope, she second guessed about which of them to declare as by far the most outrageous person on Earth.

Speaking of which, the title may end up on Nozomi, who is the craziest person to ever invent and think of crazy scientific experiments like no other. She could probably top them in terms of both mysterious and mischievous.

Which is why Maki would rather stick with Eli and Umi, who are the most levelheaded among them.

Technically speaking, the three were somehow a group back then, during the days not quite far from the present, about two years or three in the past.

Whenever Maki and Eli decided to drop by on the office, Umi and Honoka would be there, often helping the staff with cleaning and other work. The ginger-haired girl would be alongside Tsubasa for the whole day, leaving the bluenette on helping with the paperwork.

Maki and Eli, along with Umi, were a team when it comes to finishing up files and documents that needed further research. They managed to get them done by the end of the day, with or without each other. However capable they were alone, they still hung out with one another for safety purposes.

So when the news about Maki's parents getting killed with Eli hospitalized, the purple-eyed girl never had the chance to meet up with the two childhood friends as she had dedicated her time on spending her days at the hospital, looking after the blonde who was recovering from the burn. Along with the hatred for the black-haired girl she carried within her heart, the redhead had suffered alone in pain and agitation.

But now, it seemed to be even better than the old days. Not that she was glad that her parents were dead—no. It was because she had another family to lean on. Besides Eli, she had met seven girls who were willing to share their pain with the others. 

And it was a blessing that she'll appreciate for eternity.

Back on track with reality, she was nearing the end point of the river, which was flowing downstream on a slope that was headed straight for another city below them. 

Having her Spirit Animal hover above the water just before the waterfall, she readied her free arm to pull out, somehow, four heavy beings up from the flowing body of water.

But to her surprise, and horror, the ones she was waiting to catch were nowhere to be found. 

Scrambling, Maki leaped over to the ground, landing with ease on her feet as she wandered her eyes all over, "Honoka?! Rin?!", she yelled, panicking over the whereabouts of the two.

Running at the edge of the riverbank was not a plan of hers, but she's willing to move if she can find those two runaways. Technically, they were unaware of just how wide the forest is that they could just get lost with one misleading movement.

But thinking it over, Maki knew that they weren't dumb enough to just wander into the woods on their own, or even with just the two of them. So where...?

'Wait!', she hissed, turning on her heels and headed straight towards her partner, who was waiting for her command.

She jumped as high as she could and grasped onto the Phoenix's claw, giving out an order with a shaky breath, "Head straight back to Otonokizaka!"

And so with one last push of its wings, the mythical creature flew past trees and hills as fast as it could muster. Maki may not be as intelligent as her two other seniors, but she was capable enough to know.

Rin has something in her pocket that kept on beeping. Aleister also had something similar. 

And she knew someone who could have the stuff to make those. And if her intuition's correct, then she already has a lead.


	27. Episode 26

“So let me get this straight. Aleister is headed back here?”

Nozomi nodded with a playful smirk, giving Nico a chance to glare at her inability to see the bad in things.

“Trust me. He’s going back here like I said. Besides,” the purple-haired girl walked over to a bookshelf just beneath the stairs leading to the upper floor. She then picked up a book from the bottom left of the cabinet and opened it by a bookmark on the middle, “I think he’s going to see someone.”

Forming a thin line with her lips, Nico silenced, “By someone, you mean...?”

Not answering immediately, the purple-haired girl took her time before she flipped a page on the book, “My intuition tells me that something big is about to happen,” she then forcefully closed the book and placed it back on its place at the shelf.

Sweat formed on Nico’s forehead as she thought about the one who was responsible for the death of their family. She so much as seethed her teeth in anger at the thought, “Well, we still have time before that old man can get back to Otonoki. Why don’t we ambush him?”, she suggested.

Nozomi shook her head before she sat back on the couch across the other girl, “Sometimes, we need to let things happen. That’s how we’ll find out if we’re capable of making changes.”

“We can’t just let them do their dirty work in front of us! We have to do something at least!”, the red-eyed teen barked, immobile body twitching in anticipation of movement.

“Well, they did say patience is a virtue.”

“That won’t do in this situation!”

“Then...,” Nozomi walked towards Nico, then shove her face forward that their noses were already inches apart, “How about, ‘Good things come to those who wait’. How about that?”

Nico blinked. Then sighed, “It’s not really connected with stopping their meeting but... whatever,” she brushed off, relaxing on her spot and facing the window, away from Nozomi’s face.

The smile on the green-eyed teen never faltered but grew wider. She settled back and took the opposite couch as she placed the laptop on the table, taking note of the changes on the signal device beside it.

Footsteps grew louder from the floor above, about two people were going down to the living room. And by the looks of things, they were rushing.

At the top of the staircase, Eli and Hanayo were panting like crazy, gripping onto the railings like they were life support as their backs grew from their ragged breathing. 

The first one to speak was the blonde, however faint and breathless her words were, “Hah~... A... Aleister... he...,” she coughed during mid sentence as Hanayo just rubbed her back, even with her own probably equal situation, “...He’s... showing up... at the office...”

“And... I-I think that... h-he’s there as well...,” Hanayo continued with the same amount of fatigue shown in their tone. 

Of course, the ‘he’ that she was referring to was none other that the arsonist himself. Nozomi and Nico were just pertaining to him a minute ago, so they caught up on it pretty well. 

The red-eyed girl grumbled, “Oh yeah, here we go again...,” she bit back on showing a side grin as her innards were tickling with excitement at the outcome of this occurrence.

“Looks like you’re welcome to the idea of them getting on a roll together, considering how you overreacted when I informed you of their meeting,” Nico scoffed at the tease, but had a side grin at Nozomi’s playful tone. As always.

Turning around, probably not at all with her current gravitational pull, the black-haired girl whistled as she thought about the possible outcomes of Aleister’s get together with his best foot soldier. Trouble is definitely there, along with chaos and ruin. And fire. Fire won’t be away from it much, she could imagine.

“U-uhmm...”

Nico’s train of thoughts stood on a halt at Hanayo’s weak attempt on gaining attention. She eyed the meek girl like she was considering how she even managed to hold on long enough with how much she was shivering right now.

“Is there something on your mind?”, probably not sensing the eminent bashfulness from the younger girl, Eli took the part of breaking the ice. Nico was grateful, but more pitiful of the shy girl who jumped at the question directed at her.

‘It’s still early in the morning and yet here we are, dealing with a small dilemma,’ the twin-tailed girl exhaled with an exasperated expression.

Though she does enjoy company like this. It’s fun for her and unpredictable. Kind of like the time when she was still with the Magician. Not the best time of her life, but probably one of those she was grateful for. Worst case was the death of her family, but in truthful words, she’d answer for the time when she was alone and the world was hunting her around the globe like an endangered specie.

“Go ahead, Hanayo. We’re listening,” a hand was placed on Nico’s shoulder, the weight not overbearing but enough for the shorter girl to feel disturbed. However annoyed she was by the gesture, she never spoke an objection.

Gulping down a large bump on her throat, the timid girl blushed and played with the hem of her pajamas, biting down her lower lip in anxiety. But even with such emotions to deal with, she blurted out her thoughts, “I-I... I just... Thank you for taking good care of Rin!”

The other three, specifically the older girls of the group, blinked owlishly as a reaction. Clearly they weren’t expecting such, as their current topic was about doom and disasters relating Aleister and his henchman. 

But with Hanayo’s genuine outburst, they almost forgot about the matter at hand.

Eli and Nico may have never seen it coming, but Nozomi had the liberty of assessing necessary events in the future. And throughout the years that she has been with Hanayo, she’d expect something like this to happen, especially with the occurrences but mostly with the encounter of Rin. She’d heard about their childhood from the diffident girl way back once, and the purple-haired girl sung praises internally at Hanayo’s bond with the other girl. 

It almost made her proud like a parent.

So seeing as the other two won’t stop gawking at the younger teen, Nozomi took the opportunity to reply instead, “Ara ara~ It’s the least we could do for a family, especially someone whom you hold dear in your heart,” she sincerely smiled at Hanayo, who’s mouth wouldn’t stop twitching every now and then.

Shaking her head, Eli closed her once open mouth and opted for a pressed but smiling one, “Nozomi’s right, Hanayo. A family will always protect one another, no matter what,” she said with a soft tone.

With quivering limbs, Hanayo couldn’t stop the tears from coming out of her eyes. Hence, she had fervently tried to rub them out with the back of her hands but they just kept on coming like there was no end to them. 

“Thank you... so much...!”, she wailed amidst the hiccups rising from her throat and the constant sniffing of her nose due to crying.

Eli and Nozomi glanced at each other and smiled. The feeling of gratitude sent Hanayo bawling her eyes in tears, and the two of them were happy that the girl was being truthful and genuine to them. 

Though they did glance back at Nico, who was silent enough to have all the time in the world to gaze at Hanayo with a confused expression.

Frowning, the blonde tried to get the twin-tailed girl’s attention, “Still in a loop, Nico?”

Grunting, the raven-haired girl narrowed her eyes for the hundredth time and pursed her lips, “I’m just contemplating...”

Now this got Nozomi curious, “That’s dangerous,” sensing the infuriated aura from the lycanthrope, she stopped and giggled, “okay, I’ll stop. So what’s it about?”, she asked.

A growl came from Nico’s throat, but it was nothing more than an empty threat, “Well, I’ve just noticed that everyone has had a connection with someone at some point except me. I mean, you guys have been childhood friends or whatever in the past, but I’m new here,” she bit the inside of her cheeks as it flared in a pinkish glow, “Who am I familiar with here?”

Surprised, Nozomi and Eli glanced at each other with straight faces, even Hanayo stopped her crying at the mention of Nico’s ties with one of them.

Probably.

And with Nozomi being Nozomi, it was probably teasing but she did have other reasons.

“How about Maki?”, she suggested straight to the point, having this mischievous face while Nico took this as a sign to glare.

“What gave you the idea that I’m acquainted, somehow, with that snobby redhead?”, the ruby-eyed girl scoffed, slightly entertained and annoyed at the thought of being connected to Maki in the past at some point.

But as far as she was concerned, she was never introduced to a Nishikino Maki from before. And even if she was, she’d forgotten about it by now.

“Well, you two are close... And that one time at the hospital where she hugged you? I mean, I’ve been with Maki for practically more than half of my life and I’ve never seen her show that much kinship with another person...,” Eli agreed with Nozomi on Maki being someone, probably the only one, who was close enough to Nico that she’d see their bond as a family. But bearing in mind that she had never seen Maki interact with anyone while arguing, much less hugging, passionately.

It made her doubt more. But not deep enough to take it to heart. Just a squeeze that she’d missed a part of Maki’s life where she possibly met Nico at a time from back then.

Frowning, Nico raised an eyebrow at their reasons and theories, “Look, that was just some emotional turmoil that got us into such a heated argument. But...,” looking at the shorter girl, the other three were wide eyed when they saw how she had just blushed with a denial expression, “...just because she... h-hugged me doesn’t mean she cares, ya know... I mean...”

As curious as anyone would be, even Nozomi was thrilled to have Nico flushed at the thought of Maki’s daring actions. So the three of them moved closer to the black-haired girl to hear more about her reaction.

Only to be yelled at with an annoyed grunt, “And wait a minute! How come you guys still remember that?! It’s all in the past! Besides, being hugged is nothing to feel overjoyed about! Quit exaggerating,” Nico fumed with steam practically coming out of her ears.

Chuckling at her flustered response, Nozomi and Eli tried to hide their fits behind their hand, but it wasn’t working on blocking the sounds from coming out of their mouths. Hanayo made to effort to keep her giggles to herself and, instead, just showed them without restraint.

A loud rumbling noise broke their cheery atmosphere though, “Looks like someone’s hungry~,” the three looked at Nozomi like she was some sort of deity, either her teasing tone was actually there or they were just imagining, “Why don’t we cook something while we wait?”

The noise came from Nico’s stomach, which she made no attempts at being embarrassed about, “Wait for what?”, she straightly asked, as if she wasn’t just teased to death a few seconds ago.

Shrugging her shoulders, the purple-haired girl walked towards the kitchen with a smirk that they knew all too well to be ignorant about, “Oh, you know what I mean. We’ve been discussing that earlier,” she finished.

Raising their brows, Nico, Eli and Hanayo were all enlightened about what—or who Nozomi was referring to, so they just agreed. 

Though perhaps Nico was still a bit disturbed about letting things happen, even if they were about to lead into a disaster.

Before leaving to the kitchen though, Nozomi spared one last glance at them, and one last question, “Oh yeah, who’s going to inform this to Umi?”

Knowing the blue-haired girl, she’d probably try to kill Aleister and the arsonist because of what they’d caused to their lives. The most recent would be Kotori’s emotional instability, and they all knew how Umi acts in regards to the ashen-haired girl. 

Besides that, if they informed her that those two were going to meet, who knows what she’ll think. 

Or do.

Glancing at each other, Nico narrowed her eyes, “Definitely not me. I mean, I can’t even get up from here,” she pointed out to her current state, which she was grateful for if it meant that she would avoid being threatened by Umi.

That left Hanayo and Eli for the vote. And although it was unfair, Eli couldn’t let Hanayo go up there and barge into their room so she can just get yelled at in anger. She knew Umi too well, and whenever she was awoken from her precious sleep, she’d go ballistic and, well, she’s just terrifying, the blonde concluded.

So in the betterment of everyone, Eli volunteered to do the job herself. After all, she was amongst the others who were quite aware of the bluenette’s personality. So it’d make sense that she’d be the perfect candidate for the job.

Problem is, if she can make it out alive herself. 

 

 

 

 

“Honoka-chan! I think we’re close nya!”, Rin yelled while running past trees across the forest. Her tiger wasn’t far behind her, though it was obvious that her Spirit Animal was faster, it would make sense that it was supposed to be in the lead. However, Rin is more acquainted with leadership skills between them so she’s in front.

For now. Until the battle starts, that is.

Her loud voice came across Honoka, who was just on the other side of the forest beside them, a safe distance in between and both agile enough to talk and run while avoiding trunks overall, “Yeah, I can smell his stench from way out here. Maybe we really got him tired out that he’s running out of cologne,” she asked herself, but shared it with Rin through speaker-induced screams.

“Maybe nya. But let’s hurry. I think he’s heading back to his headquarters!”, the cat-like teen hushed as she and her fellow feline decided to increase their pace at running. They may be on par with a bullet train by now. Of course, it would be tough for Rin so she opted to just hop on to the tiger’s back.

Honoka got the message and pounced on the dog’s back, which caused it to steer away from a straight path and struggled for a moment, surprised by the sudden weight on its back. 

“Let’s go, partner! Catch that man!”, the ginger-haired girl yelled determinedly, martyr-like and very eager to do whatever it takes for them to get a hold on Aleister. 

The Spirit Animal did as it was told and zoomed past every tree they saw with precise accuracy. It was a top notch deal when it came to agility.

Though there was one question running around Honoka’s mind, and it even got Rin interested.

“I think we forgot something.”

“Nya? What is it???”

“... Never mind. Probably just nothing. Let’s go!”

 

 

 

“I am not NOTHING!”, a certain redhead screamed from the heavens as she heard what the two were going on about. And it did not go well with Maki’s mood.

Things are going to get pretty heated up from now.


	28. Episode 27

The bluenette was definitely not asleep. In fact, she stayed up all night just thinking about possibilities, and some might not be given enough reasons to be true. With everything that was going on, from their meeting that day to the battle yesterday. It took all of her wits just to remind herself that it was nothing short of reality, per se.

 

However, the world was cruel enough to bring about negativities to Umi. She wasn’t the type to think of such, but given their experiences, a lot has changed. Not just in their judgment, but also in their strength. She had to admit that all of these events made her stronger and determined.

 

But all in all, it just took a huge toll on her.

 

Sure, they were all for the sake of them getting even more powerful, for the future of the world and humanity. They have to do everything, whatever it takes for them to take down the Government and all those obliged to bring about the destruction of the Earth.

 

Even if it means they have to sacrifice those of importance to them.

 

Umi took a peak at Kotori. Kotori who was asleep and her peaceful expression was infuriating to look at. She may have been healed by Hanayo, but the scars remain and she may never live up to that. The bluenette was afraid that the poor girl would blame herself for what happened the day before, especially since she’d been with Nozomi and Hanayo for who knows how long and were living in this humble abode. And for her to not care about ever destroying it...

 

The bluenette wouldn’t want her to have any regrets. Whatever had made Kotori act that way was clearly some sort of grudge for the insolent man who swore them a generous deal of slavery in the future.

 

She would count the stars for years if it meant that the world will go back to its normal state. Chaos still ensues and none of those Government officials had the wits to think of ways to revive their once lost ecosystem.

 

The Magician...

 

Umi never thought about him. And for that reason, she never managed to bear a desire for revenge on that fame-driven fool. Apart from Nico’s experience with him, the only good thing he’s ever done was compensate for his actions, but they weren’t enough to bring back the animals who were harmoniously living in the wild.

 

The world did not enlighten him to solutions for repayment.

 

She, however, was empathetic enough to know that his actions were worthy of forgiveness and, as such, was never meant to be a negative output on the world. He was only in the infinite search for his purpose, and he found it by performing magic. People saw the good in his deeds, they were nothing like any other. Gradually, all that fame took its price.

 

And he was left with the desire for more.

 

Nico understood this man, and so will Umi. He was good in a way that his actions mislead them to the world’s misery. He was alone and despair tricked him into the dark abyss.

 

Yet his passion for magic made him believe in someone, believe in Nico who had nothing to do with him for all of his life. He put his faith on her by entrusting her something that no one was allowed to handle but him.

 

Umi knew none of this, she was never there when Nico told the others about the promise that the Magician and the Lone Savage had made.

 

But her instincts told her that he had placed all of his calls to this forsaken girl, to the one society called a beast.

 

That alone was more than enough for the bluenette to be assured of.

 

Her train of thoughts were cut off by a knock on the door. Flinching, Umi turned to look at the doorknob slowly turning, the wooden door creaking as it did so. Whoever was doing it was quiet enough as to not wake Kotori up. And it put the amber-eyed girl at ease.

 

The one who entered their room was Eli, who was sweaty and nervous. Whatever she needed from them must be important if she was weary at this much.

 

“Eli? Is something the matter?”, the tired girl slowly uprooted her upper body from the comfort of the bed, dark circles evident on her eyes but they weren’t keeping her from talking with opened eyes.

 

The blonde tiptoed inside the room before closing the door behind her ever so slowly. She then sat at a chair by the bedside desk, turning on the lamp in midpower to get the room bright enough but not blinding to disturb them.

 

Sighing, Eli started, “I need to tell you something. You’re probably not going to enjoy hearing this news but it’s better than being oblivious,” she warily phrased, an unsure expression on her face.

 

And it did not reassure Umi. Not one bit.

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

Meanwhile, as Eli carefully discussed their situation to the bluenette, Nozomi was subtly cooking breakfast, just plain old eggs and bacon. Nothing special, but they weren’t complaining. After all, nothing beats an empty stomach like good homemade specialties.

 

Of course, Nico would’ve done it herself in elegance and precision, she silently mused to herself. Growing in the wild without parental attention had her learn a few tricks to survival, and it included cooking for herself using raw ingredients, either stolen or were from the garbage cans thrown by some disturbingly ungrateful personas. It made her independent, in a good way, actually.

 

Though apparently, all of that was formally ignored when the Government caught ahold of her running amuck in the forest nearby. ‘So much for freedom,’ she tiredly thought to herself as she reminisced. It was mostly her fault so she never had any problems with denials.

 

Of course, adding the time with the Magician and that book that he had inserted in her head graciously without her full consent, she was pretty much surprised that she didn’t end up being a robot after all this time. Much less dead. Quite a different expectation.

 

‘Alright, time for some interrogation,’ Nico finished her thoughts as she decided to move on to ask about Hanayo’s life, “So, how long have you and that cat girl known each other?”, was her subtle yet not so subtle question.

 

Flinching, Hanayo glanced at her when she heard the term ‘cat girl’. It could only pertain to Rin, and seeing as she was the only person with her, she just assumed that she was the object of interrogation, “W-Well, we were childhood friends since we were... uhm, four? And, uh... we were separated by the time we were about to turn eight... so maybe... four years?”, she flimsily answered while twiddling her thumb and index finger by the hem of her shirt, probably a habit of hers, Nico mused.

 

Hearing so, she hummed, “Huh, you were apart for that long at such a young age and yet you still knew each other? Quite a fascinating relationship you got there. Very inspiring,” she grinned, but the brunette only bit back a squeak from how the black-haired girl looked at her.

 

In turn, Hanayo wanted to ask a question of her own, despite the growing sense of embarrassment, “Uhm... if you don’t mind me asking, how long have you been... you know... like that?”, she meekly stated.

 

Raising a confused brow, Nico couldn’t help but ask, “Like what?”, thinking that the younger girl was probably mocking her or something, it would very much likely cut off the mood and would be appreciated if she was talking about things other than Nico’s social life or personality.

 

Clearly knowing that she wasn’t making herself clear, the brunette spoke again, “I-I mean... how long have you been... uh, the uhm... Lone Savage...,” with how much her face was glowing, the black-haired girl was afraid that she was going to kill the girl out of distress.

 

And if she did, she probably won’t hear the end of it from Nozomi. Possibly Kotori if she happened to wake up. And maybe get killed by Rin. Nothing too great.

 

Despite all of that, Nico wanted to give Hanayo an answer to her question. It would be unfair if she didn’t, “Probably five years? And counting, of course. Society won’t change their way of thinking just for me, and I’m not hoping,” she had this numb expression which made Hanayo feel uneasy, but it was reassuring to her that Nico wasn’t thinking much about her situation.

 

“Is that all?”, the red-irised girl narrowed her eyes, “I would gladly answer more questions, you know. It’s not everyday you get to see me tied up to one place,” she blurted out purposely, grinning on the inside.

 

It may be weird, but she was having a good time talking with the timid girl, more than she’d like to admit. It was, after all, fun chatting with the shy teen and have her ask questions about the raven head’s personal life.

 

She was gradually getting out of her shell.

 

“Well, uh—”

 

“Hate to break the moment, but we better get going,” jumping from their seats, the two glanced at Nozomi, who had this serious face that none of them wanted to mess around with her for now.

 

Similarly, both Umi and Eli descended from the upper floor and were now going down towards them, “It seems that something’s happening over at the city,” Eli started.

 

Nozomi nodded, “I felt so as well. Looks like it’s not an ordinary get together that’s happening over there,” she half joked, although her face told otherwise.

 

Nico mentally told herself to back off on the barks when Nozomi’s in her serious mode.

 

While most of them looked like they’ve at least had a good night’s sleep, Umi could be said otherwise. She had bags under her eyes, her face paled more than what could’ve been just from the lack of sleep. Yet none of those could hide the fire in her eyes.

 

But her all-nighter didn’t go unnoticed.

 

“Didn’t sleep last night huh?”, Nico surprisingly started that the others didn’t know who she was talking about, “I’m talking about you, Umi,” she monotonously added.

 

Confused, said girl tilted her head, “How can you tell?”

 

“Are you kidding me? You didn’t even give an effort on hiding your eye bags, of course we’d notice. Unless you wanted to play denials,” the black-haired lycanthrope was probably in the worst state of mind to ever hold a proper conversation in the morning, seeing as she was snapping at everyone who had the guts to answer her questions with another question.

 

Swallowing, Umi slightly tugged at the hem of her collar nervously, “You’re... not wrong... I guess...,” she laughed weirdly at how much she’d sweated over just being caught lacking sleep.

 

“Is it really hard for you to use our names?”, Eli said in between their talk, curious about the matter as well, same as Nozomi. It was probably the second or third time that she’d used someone’s name when addressing them. After all, she had only used pet names or insulting nicknames so far more often.

 

Twitching an eye, Nico grumbled, “Do we really have to deal with this? I mean, what do you care about what I call you?”, she spat.

 

Eli had to admit, she was a bit unnerved about her lack of sympathy for human emotions, “It can be a bit insulting whenever you call us with weird nicknames,” she assaulted.

 

“Ugh, it’s not important. Besides, I have difficulty in remembering stuff okay? I can probably make out some details resembling your appearance by your names, but overall, It’d be easier if I just got your attention regardless of what I call you,” Nico closed her eyes with connected brows, a sigh escaping from her mouth.

 

This time, it was Nozomi who had replied, “We’ll settle this at a later date. For now, we’ll have to move out and see what’s going on over at the city,” she picked up her belt and holsters from the table and buckled them around her waist.

 

Hanayo followed suit and went to pick up a small staff from the couch. It was worn out but looked like it can still break even the thickest of rocks.

 

Both Eli and Umi nodded at each other as they were the only ones without a weapon stashed.

 

Other than Nico.

 

“Err... little help here?”

 

Before opening the front door, Nozomi took one last glance at Nico and then blinked at her, which caused the red-eyed girl’s face to contort, “I think you’d better sit this one out,” she then grinned at something only Nico knew.

 

And she did, “Oi! You better come back here! And that was another lame pun, mind you!”

 

“Oh, I’m sure you’ll figure something out—”

 

“‘Figure something out’ my foot! So help me you guys better get me outta here ore I’m gonna give you hell, be damned!”, her curses were about to break its intensity limits if this continued, the others thought nervously as they had no other choice than to free Nico first before moving.

 

Easier said than done, really. The rings had their grip on the ground and over Nico’s limbs pretty tightly. They’re not at all miracle workers, plus none of them knew magic. What else could they do?

 

Other than trust Nozomi’s trick grin, they’ve got no more leads to break the binds.

 

“I dunno what kind of fucking idea you have but you better do it quick or I’ll kick your butts regardless of my situation, so help me I’ll do the impossible even if it takes me my life for trying!”, growled Nico, who couldn’t suppress her anger anymore as her fur started to grow on her body, size changing as her eyes gleamed dangerously.

 

This was the time where they should calm her down, but unfortunately, Nozomi thought otherwise, “Please do then. I’d like to see you walk with those stuck around your back. You’ll probably look like a wolf with a turtle’s shell!”, she laughed at her own words, shocking the others who were very wary about Nico’s mood.

 

This was bad, they all thought in unison.

 

And Nico had the worst possible temper to take all that in at the worst possible state of mind as her body slowly changed into her werewolf form, bonded or not she was still growing in size, “You boob monster...! You better run now or I’m bringing you to hell with me!”, she seethed with a deeper voice, one befitting a rabid savage animal.

 

And the others did not take that lightly as shivers went down their spines.

 

Nozomi was still going on with trying to get on Nico’s nerves so she continued with the teasing, “Well, it might be nice being in hell with you, Nicocchi. Though I guess it might come to as boring since you’re rather dull to be with,” her innocent face wasn’t so much as genuine, and the lycanthrope saw this as an insult.

 

“Trying to pick a fight eh? We’ll see about that...! After I’m done with you, they’re next!”, the constant twitches and pitch changes in Nico’s tone of voice was enough to make the whole world run for their money, but not the purple-haired girl.

 

And the others were silently praying, hoping that she might go back on her words and just apologize.

 

Instead though, things just got a little out of control.

 

“My my, Nicocchi. You can’t possibly be done with me. We’re still going to hell, remember?”

 

‘Please shut up!’, for once, the other three in the room thought out loud in sync, fear striking hard in their core as their bodies were vibrating from the thick and scary atmosphere that Nozomi had voluntarily created.

 

Growls and ravaged noises came out of the wolf’s mouth as saliva went dripping down onto the ground as it lashed out on the couch, movements rampant and violent. Too violent.

 

On cue, Nozomi ushered for them to listen, “When I give my signal, all of you head to the city immediately, as fast as you can. Understand?”

 

‘Who in their right minds would understand that under these conditions?!’, the three screamed inside their heads, but nodded nonetheless.

 

If she said that they’d run, that means she’s going to have Nico get angry.

 

And that didn’t sound too good.

 

“You...! Damn you...! Fucking stupid... I’ll—!”

 

“Now!”

 

Even without her shout, Umi, Hanayo and Eli had already left the cottage, running as fast as they could before the whole place explodes.

 

“—KILL YOU ALL!!!”, the ties that bonded Nico to the ground were no more as they snapped when Nico went back to her other form, huge and enormous, about three times the size that they were normally accustomed to.

 

Umi had summoned her eagle and she immediately ordered it to flee as she held on to its claw. The bird, sensing the murderous aura from the house, never got to have second thoughts before taking off along with Umi gripping its feet.

 

Hanayo rode on the back of her lion, which was not at all afraid about the wolf. Being the king of the jungle had its perks, but it did not mean that it wasn’t wary. However high its position may be at the top of the food chain, the most dangerous of them can be quite the problem.

 

Eli, on the other hand, summoned her fox. But unlike before where it just jumped out from a warp circle, this time it had leaped into the sky with the blonde enchanting some words.

 

Wisps slowly formed around the animal as it glowed a bright blue in the air. It was changing in shape as its tail didn’t stay alone. Tails were forming behind it as its body grew. It stopped at eight, and flames lit from each one.

 

Its fur was highlighted with light blue, but remained mainly white. Eyes that were two sapphires, clear and moist. A white magic circle was around its torso as it flew in the sky, levitating like it was nothing short of possible.

 

Eli, of course, was not surprised by this since she was already used to having her Spirit Animal change forms from time to time, but since this was an emergency, she’d have to make haste. So wasting no time, she hopped onto the back of the fox and they voyaged to the city in midair, following Umi and Hanayo from behind.

 

Lastly, Nozomi waited for the right time, making Nico get all the more annoyed with looking at the purple-haired girl’s mischievous face. The girl summoned her dragon on the outside to wait for her as she glanced at the out of control werewolf on the loose.

 

“Catch me if you can~”, Nozomi then held onto the mythical creature’s bid claw as she signaled for it to fly and reach the city, to which it obliged without much of a complaint.

 

On time, the wolf left the house, a few feet away from Nozomi by land. But that doesn’t mean it can’t catch up. With the way it runs on the ground, its paws digging too deep into the dirt that it was excavated along the way. It growled with ferocity that by now, the green-eyed girl had already sensed fear.

 

But she wasn’t going to let Nico catch her. Instead, she was going to catch Aleister off guard.

 

And this was the perfect opportunity.


	29. Episode 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. Sorry I’m taking too long on these chapters. I’ve been so busy with school that I can’t even make time for this. Hahaha! But I have my ways so hopefully I’d be done with all the work the next week. I’ll see to it that I’m free by mid-Feb to continue updating normally.
> 
> Thanks for all the support. I’ll keep it up! So enjoy these two chapter for now. Hahaha!

Somewhere in the city, a hooded man was walking alone in the streets, dark clothes immediately blending in with the shadows as dark clouds started to swallow up the sky. Metal chains clanged as he walked down the pavement, boots thumping loudly as he went.

 

Thunder roared, then small droplets of rain poured bit by bit, starting slow and then pouring like a heavy waterfall. People who were in open areas ran around to look for a shade in the rain.

 

But not this man.

 

He was rather fine with showering under the pressure of heavy raindrops. It never bothered him, nor did anyone bother telling him to find escapade from the downpour.

 

It was fine since he’d probably burn down anyone who’s willing to talk to him. The arsonist. A loyal right hand man of the one and only president of the Government, Aleister. It would be rude to have peasants gain his attention.

 

Least of all, having his identity taken out from the shadows.

 

It would ruin his reputation, and would definitely become the fall of the Government, one that his master would be disappointed of him.

 

He cared less about that. As his main priority was to eliminate those inhabiting Spirit Animals, regardless of Aleister’s orders. He would’ve done them in a heartbeat without any commands.

 

Because if there was one thing he wanted most in the world, it would give him the greatest pleasure if he could be like his brother.

 

He who had everything.

 

He who had the power to destroy.

 

He who was foolish enough to bring chaos into the world.

 

He who was said to be a cursed person.

 

He who was his only family.

 

He who was someone that he wanted to kill his whole entire life.

 

And up until now, that never changed.

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Honoka! Are we close to the city nya?”

 

“I think so. I’m starting to smell smoke from way out here!”

 

“Nya! And it looks like it’s raining there!”

 

“Yeah... we better hurry then!”

 

The two nodded at each other as they ran to the beat of the rain, their Spirit Animals following them respectively.

 

The fateful meeting at Otonokizaka was about to start, and Maki feared that this was just the beginning of the end.

 

She just hoped that Honoka and Rin knew what they were doing, else they’d be rotting at a corner right now.

 

And that was one thing she wanted to reconsider from the future.

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

“It’s raining quite heavily over there...,” whispered a very worried-looking bluenette as she gripped onto the claw of her fellow partner, who flew across the grassy fields with strong flaps of its wings.

 

Following suite was Hanayo, who rode on the back of her Spirit Animal, the white lion traversing through the plains with a mighty front, “I sure hope nothing’s happening yet...”

 

“We’ll make it through. And we’ll stop them before anything dangerous starts,” Eli spoke from behind, similarly riding on the back of the supposedly nine-tailed white fox. Only difference was it was galloping in the air, with only the wind carrying it as it flew with precision and speed.

 

Behind the three were Nozomi and Nico, the former on top of a ferocious-looking dragon whose scales were hard enough to break through walls without even a dent or scratch to be seen. The latter, who had turned into a werewolf, crawled through the land, tearing dirt and grass apart as its sharp paws dug too deep to excavate all those it had touched. Its glaring eyes showed anger, blaring with intensity and despair.

 

And who was to change this kind of negative output but Nozomi, “Still keeping up, Nicocchi? I didn’t think your short legs could carry you this far~,” uttered the purple-haired girl with hints of teasing and giggles hidden behind the back of her palm.

 

It was the fuel that ignited Nico’s spirit with so much animosity that anyone would wonder how she hasn’t exploded in rage yet, “I’m coming for you, so you better say your prayers!”, the half animal half human seethed through gritted teeth, poison basically dripping from each word.

 

But it only served as hope for Nozomi’s plan, which was to bring the lycanthrope into the battlefield. Her way may be cruel, but it was a last resort for them to win.

 

She was, after all, a trump card.

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

“My my, it seems I have kept you waiting long enough. I sure hope you won’t catch a cold, lest you stop doing your flaring business,” even through the soaked hoodie, the arsonist managed to roll his eyes at whatever Aleister was getting at. He seems to have a bad habit of giving out puns under the weather, and it was one thing that his underling had suppressed the urge of complaining about.

 

Said man with the jacket scowled, “I’ve been through enough under these conditions so you better be quick. I’m not going to humor you,” he spat while turning sideways to look at the road.

 

Raising a brow, the Government leader smirked playfully, “Of course. It has been a long time since I’ve seen what you can do, and I’ve been thinking about stopping with the mere subjects.”

 

A brief movement came from the other person as he faced Aleister with obviously glaring eyes, “Hah? You can’t be serious! I came all this way drenched in the rain just to have me fired from my one and only mission?!”, the hooded man hunched over, fire basically exploding from his fingertips, even with the strong downpour of the rain.

 

Amused, Aleister smirked, “Relax, my dear Kihal,” he went over to the other man, who was named Kihal, and threw his arms over his shoulders, his sleeves now wet, “Let me finish. I don’t want you to target just those with Spirit Animals,” he then pressed his index fingers to Kihal’s throat, a slither of magic circuiting from its tips dangerously at his thorax, “I’d like for you to finish this country.”

 

His sinister aura and tone had the man sweat under his hood, fear overcoming his nerves, but he willed whatever was left of his confidence to brag, “Heh! So you want me to kill? Regardless of whether they are vessels or not?”, he asked, cautious.

 

Humming, Aleister removed his arm from Kihal’s shoulder and fixed his sleeve, then raised his hand in the air. A bright magic circle was above him, protecting him from the droplets of rain as he pushed a gust of wind to his way, whisking away the wet parts from his clothes, “You know how it works. Don’t keep me waiting,” he maliciously replied.

 

Kihal smirked in return, “Oh, you know it. It saves me time and effort in finding specific places,” he uttered in response.

 

The liberal leader grinned before walking away from their meeting place, content that his order has been delivered.

 

But before he could even reach at least a meter away from the arsonist, a growl and a bark stopped him from going any further from his spot. Looking up, he glanced at what could be visible as a misty figure of a large beast and a smaller version of it. Due to the rain, he couldn’t be certain about their whereabouts or their actual shapes.

 

But whatever they were, they certainly were Spirit Animals.

 

“Oh? Come to seek out the mastermind? I’m afraid you lot will only waste precious moments whimpering under these heaven forsaken conditions,” frowning, Aleister adjusted yet again his sleeves in a habit of being irritated.

 

But not a growl nor a bark had replied to him, instead it was a voice. And it had irked him more than now, “No we won’t! Besides, you were the one who was crying on the ground yesterday! I bet you’ll be the first to cry again today!”

 

“Yeah nya! You’re going down! To the ground!”, two enthusiastic, and rather ignorant, hyper voices echoed through the pouring rain, reaching the ears of the two men, who were currently unaware of their whereabouts.

 

But by the sound of the splashing footsteps, they both know that they were getting closer.

 

The shadows of the two creatures were slowly creeping towards them. Chills were going down from Kihal’s spine, while Aleister only narrowed his gaze.

 

True that they were getting closer, but with each step and distance, they were slowly starting to grow smaller. And smaller. And smaller.

 

Until they were just about the same height as they are.

 

Only the other one about half their size.

 

Now raising a brow, the shaggy-haired man had recognized their forms from the safe distance, “I see. So you’ve followed me even to here without resting... I must commend you for your excellent feat,” he grinned and clapped his hands, having the other man behind him gaze in disbelief, “Your endurance is remarkable! I can’t believe you tracked me for a whole day!”

 

The joyous sarcasm in his tone sent Kihal a message to never anger his boss like that.

 

But it went unheard to his receivers, “Nya! We don’t need your praise!”, a cat-like voice said from the other side, though still undetectable to its exact location.

 

“Yeah! We can beat you even if you hadn’t ran away for a day! Even if you run away forever, we’ll still beat you...,” the other voice suddenly stopped, and Aleister was about to retort when it said more, “Oh wait! If you ran away forever, that makes you a coward right? Haha! Sorry!”

 

The afterwords were like bombs that fell straight from the sky, flooding down the muddy lane with gravity. And Aleister was having the full brunt of these damages. Honoka and Rin may not feel the dramatic change in aura, but Kihal definitely felt the murderous intent vibrating from his boss.

 

And that was not a good sign. Ever.

 

“Are you saying... that I’m a coward?”, as normal as its pitch may be, the heavy atmosphere that his words have created were unbeknownst to the two girls, only the arsonist could feel the venom dripping from each hesitant word coming out from Aleister.

 

‘These two... Are they trying to get themselves killed?!’, Kihal was still fresh on believing how Honoka and Rin took Aleister’s poisonous spats with ease. He, on the other hand, had taken at least thirteen years of experience from this man to get used to his rather demanding orders. He had stayed with him to be one of his loyal subjects, the man who was the reason for the deaths of people with Spirit Animals. He had been given that job since his brother made his stupid mistake.

 

And these girls... they were unaffected by his harsh and dangerous way of uttering?!

 

“Nya? We didn’t say that! We said that if you ran away forever, you were a coward! But since you didn’t, then you’re not nya!”, Rin, ever as enthusiastic and ignorant, energetically corrected Aleister, who was still on the road to recovery from having his pride being shattered.

 

Nodding, Honoka added, “So right now, we need to settle that! So don’t run away anymore!”, she declared.

 

But for a few seconds, only the sound of the rain could be heard. Aleister didn’t respond, and of course neither would Kihal. After all, his hoodie made it possible for his identity to be hidden. It was something that he opted for personal security. So by chance that they don’t know about their meeting, then they’re not aware that his presence was known as the arsonist.

 

However, as much as he wanted for his safety to be protected always, the sense of insecurity is still present. And all of his fear came from one person and one person only.

 

His leader.

 

“Haha... Hahaha.... HAHAHAHAHAHA!”, a loud rumbling of thunder and lightning struck as Aleister cackled in complete glee. His hand covered a part of his face, to hide away his humored expression. The other three were confused with how he reacted to their words.

 

But they were silenced when his face slowly turned around, now plastered with a dark expression that says death all over, “You think I would opt to flee from the likes of you? Yes you have Spirit Animals at your disposal, but if I need to instill this on your heads then so be it. I am the leader of the Government,” he grimly chuckled, lifeless eyes was what they were witnessing from him.

 

Honoka and Rin both swallowed a thick amount of saliva as they continued to gaze at his piercing ones. They took a step back when he stepped forward, that one action almost equal to that of a disaster, a very dangerous movement.

 

And the two girls immediately sensed them, experienced or not. Their instincts were kicking in that this man has turned from completely capable to being deadly and dangerous.

 

Even the tiger and the dog were both intimidated by his aura. They lowered their heads in cower as they slowly backed away from the scene, but not enough to be out of sight.

 

“Oh? Why the fear from your expressions? I don’t suppose you’re becoming afraid of me?”, his tone of voice sent chills down their spines, even Kihal’s. And his face that represents how he cares less for everything but what was in front of him.

 

Surely, even the heavy rain didn’t soften his evil gaze. The effects were actually working well for him, as it just showed how his murderous intent is most likely true. Kihal should know, he always sees how his boss does his work.

 

And it ends up clean.

 

But this time, his enemies weren’t the typical stereotypes. They were immature, inexperienced, and ignorant, per se. But with those in mind, they have that one advantage that none of his past challengers had with them:

 

The ability to ignore the strength of their opponent.

 

In a fight, of course it’s necessary to know the capabilities of one another. If you know how strong your opponent is, you may be able to guess the winner with just the mere knowledge. And if you know that their powers are no match for you, then you’d gladly accept the challenge.

 

However, if you suspect that you’re no match for his capabilities, then you will most likely avoid the match and opt to withdraw without fighting. That is how you know the outcome of a match without being in one just yet.

 

But since both Honoka and Rin are still knew to the whole ordeal of rebellion, they wouldn’t have the slightest clue about eyeing one’s power and strength. Knowing the slightest difference in abilities can lower the self esteem of a person, but being ignorant to that gives an opposite reaction.

 

They don’t avoid, and instead attacks head on.

 

Not directly, of course. They are mature enough to know that the man in front of them is very powerful at the moment. So they relied on their social (insulting) skills.

 

“We’re not afraid of you... maybe... But we’ll fight to the end!”, Honoka’s glee in her tone was very praiseworthy, and it even made Rin join as they both raised their arms in the air, a determined face plastered.

 

As much as he hated to admit, but Kihal was impressed.

 

But their victorious determination was ineffective to Aleister’s will to destroy and ravage. He never paid attention to their reactions, instead had focused on what he was about to do.

 

“Impressive to see how you face the darkest of times with the brightest spirits,” he uttered monotonously, “But I shall make history today. And none of you are capable of stopping me,” he continued.

 

And by his words, a magic circle appeared from his hand, slowly gaining size and seizing the air above them. The dark clouds hovering away as the power from the ring glowed a shade of dark red. Dangerously spinning, sparks flew around it as it whipped up gales.

 

Then, a thunderous boom echoed across the city as lightning struck exactly the the center of the magic circle, passing through it and clapping the ground with the loudest of sounds.

 

The whole earth shook, buildings barely able to withstand the intense trembling. Trees were uprooted, so were the houses and some institutions. The roads cracked and bulges sprouted.

 

Honoka and Rin lost balance and were now holding tightly onto their Spirit Animals while sitting on the ground, incapable of standing upright at the moment.

 

Kihal was very worried about his master going on a rampage. It might be the greatest calamity to ever occur. Of course, this was a good thing on their part. But personally...

 

He wanted to be the one to finish things.

 

But because this was Aleister, the only meaningful thing he can possibly do is to stand on the sidelines and wait for the passing of their achievement.

 

But it was really just a lucky day if they just happened to win at one go. He had predicted something, or someone, would come and steal the spotlight by stopping them right now.

 

Not Rin nor Honoka are capable of doing that.

 

And who was better at being a bother other than Nico, who was on par with Aleister in terms of ferocity and danger.

 

More over, the lycanthrope looked mad. Very mad. Angry and very unforgiving, out of control. Kihal could only swallow thickly at how the werewolf made its appearance from out of nowhere and entered the fray without as much as a greeting.

 

Not only that, she didn’t look like someone who was actually thinking of stopping them.

 

More like, she had the idea of destroying them.

 

“Aleister... Bastards...!”, growled the ebony wolf as it stomped towards the man, now completely ignoring her first victims as she passed through buildings without as much as a stop, “I’m not in the mood... But just looking at your face ticks me off!!!”

 

A tick mark appeared on Aleister’s forehead as he faced Nico, “Oh? I can say the same for you, savage. Why don’t we see settle this once and for all?”, he glanced at her, but his body was focused on the task at hand.

 

Scoffing, Nico instead turned to gaze at the hooded figure, “I’d rather beat the crap out of this guy. I’ll let the others take care of you,” she confidently stated without any second thoughts.

 

Frustrated, the man growled, “Are you afraid that you’re no match for me?”

 

“Nah. I just think you’re a piece of shit right now. I’d rather deal with him,” before Aleister could retort, she continued, “Besides, I believe the others can take care of you,” she ushered for the others to group themselves at the man.

 

“So? Ready to take us on?”, being prideful as she was at the moment, the wolf glowered at the two men in front of them, teeth bare and now sharply shimmering.

 

Scoffing, Aleister talked back, “That’s supposed to be our line, but I’ll consent. After all,” his magic circle continued to conjure massive lightning and struck them at the already sensitive ground, unfazed, “the world is going to end.”

 

“Not on our watch,” snickering, Nico dashed forward, about to take down Kihal while the rest of them are focused on Aleister.

 

This is going down on the history books, Nozomi thought as she observed. But being wary, she smiled as she herself went forward, ready to fight alongside Eli and the others.

 

This is going to be disastrous, they all thought in sync. And the apple never fell far from the tree.


	30. Episode 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys. Sorry for the delay. We kinda had our presentation yesterday and I was completely knocked out when i went home. HAHaha, like, super tired from street dancing. So here’s another chap. It’s a bit... fast? You’ll get it when you read it. 
> 
> Thanks for all the support! Till next time!

Nozomi eyed the magic circle that glowed above them. The ring, to her peripheral, looked somehow similar to a conductor, which attracts electricity in the middle and then releases the energy to the ground. If she could compare it to one of her devices, then the perfect fit would be the magnifying lenses.

 

However, the lightning it absorbs are scattered across the sky, which is a bit troublesome since the clouds aren’t really technical with creating sparks. So in short, the released energy varies in the time of exertion, depending on the weather.

 

Focusing on how it functions, the magic circle waits for the charges of electricity in the clouds to appear, then has them form onto the center like an energy ball, and unleashes the power into a ray that pierces the earth, the ground crumbling and trembling upon intact.

 

To Nozomi’s point of view, it could be used as a deadly cannon. But in this case, Aleister’s making no use of it in such a way. Instead of that, he had made the ring face the ground and has all that lightning released directly to the ground.

 

It was a waste of good effort, one would think. Nozomi, however, has opinions of the probabilities that Aleister may be up to something. Upon closer inspection, all of his anger shades his true intentions. So being none the wiser, the purple-haired girl seeks first to uncover his mask and stop his schemes.

 

Problem is, how are they going to go near him if every bit of charge from the magic ring sends tiny shockwaves to pass through the road?

 

Umi and Eli, along with their partners, are unaffected by this since both of them are levitated in the air. Hanayo had decided to have her Spirit Animal rest for the time being and summoned her other partner instead, the buck standing firm and tall.

 

Raising a brow, Nozomi never thought much about it but Hanayo thinks well when certain situations take place. For example, if they were to fight Aleister now then the best option would be to have her lion enter the battle, which is one of the strongest Spirit Animals when it comes to strength. However, sending it back and replacing it with her deer would be a big mistake to the others.

 

But in this case, it was a smart idea.

 

The antlers of said deer are not ordinary. They may looked like something normal, but magically they also serve as some sort of antenna. They weren’t made of metal, but they were powerful enough to equate one. And said antennae are useful at this moment since they serve as a conductor to these electrical charges on the ground.

 

Simply put, the people on the ground were overall unaffected by these wild sparks because the deer’s antlers attract them and has them charge up its antlers.

 

For the purpose of self-enhancement.

 

Which was one of the things that Nozomi admires about Hanayo and her team of animals. They may not be ones to attack head on, but they are careful during actual battles.

 

A gust of wind attracted the purple-haired girl’s attention to the sky, a silhouette overshadowing her from above. Upon closer inspection, it looked like Maki who was holding the claw of her Spirit Animal.

 

‘Just in time,’ she thought, “Maki-chan! We’re fine here! You go and help Nicocchi!”, she shouted towards the redhead in the sky.

 

“E-Eh???”, not reacting well, Maki splattered nonsense before the thought sinked in, “Oh, okay. Good luck with Aleister!”, she waved before descending towards where Nico and Kihal are standing opposite of each other.

 

Nodding, Nozomi relaxed and focused on their enemy at hand. They may be outnumbering him, but there was no telling about his abilities.

 

He is the boss, after all. No one fights a boss without any injuries.

 

She just hoped that injuries are all they’ll ever attain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Tch! Can’t believe you’re this obsessed with me. First my brother, now yours truly?!”, his boast is more forced than not, but Kihal was not one to just run away from a fight.

 

At least, a fight in which he knows he can win.

 

Somehow, with Nico’s mood swings, nothing good will ever come out from it.

 

“And I can’t believe you’re delusional enough to think that I’m stalking you,” the wolf talked back with a smirk, showing off her large pointed teeth, “The only reason I wanna fight you is because I’d rather be the one to beat you than anyone else,” she leaped in the air and glowed, a once werewolf now split into two: her human form and her fellow Spirit Animal.

 

Just like that, a chill ran down Kihal’s spine, “Just because you possess one of those doesn’t mean you’re more powerful than me,” he then showed off his magic, which was to produce fire on his hands and arms, not being put out by the rain, “Remember, I’m still the one who killed thousands of Spirit Animal wielders. If I can destroy that much—,” he charged straight towards her, “—then killing you would be easy!”

 

“First of all, I’m not like one of those you’ve already exterminated,” Nico started as they parried with flaring hands. Kihal’s were much fiercer though as they were made solely from magic, whilst Nico’s are borrowed from the power of Lucas’s book along with the wisp on her Spirit Animal’s tail, “Unlike them, I’m fighting you head on. They were unprepared, basically.

 

“Second, I’m a trained person who managed to survive society by being the most wanted person,” Kihal got the upper hand for a second, but Nico dodged his clobber and jabbed him to the side, but was stopped by his elbow, “Most of all, I’m not an ordinary Spirit Animal vessel. You can already think of the possibilities about me being some sort of an abnormal specie.”

 

It was a question to the hooded man as to how the black-haired girl continues to go on about her reasons while fighting him, as hard as it was to admit that she was on equal footing with him. With speed alone, she overpowers him. But he has magic so it was an advantage.

 

But right now, they were just sparring hand to hand combat, although from the looks of things, Nico was definitely the more experienced one as her moves were fluid and flexible. The way she alternates from punches to kicks and then to uppercuts and even roundhouses were professional in level. Amateurs wouldn’t stand a chance against her on a fair fight.

 

But this was different. They had powers, and the one who overcomes the other would win hands down. Not only that, this is a matter of life and death, the fate of the world depends on the result. And they weren’t holding back.

 

For the most part, Kihal was handling Nico’s pressure attacks with defensive flames on his wrists. They both seemed exhausted but continued to exchange blows without hesitation. Unlike before, they weren’t as quick.

 

But they were both determined.

 

“Then...,” the man threw an uppercut straight to the jawline, but the black-haired girl swung her body sideways to evade, then turned her body forward to place the weight of her body on her right foot, raised her other leg to make a backslash movement with it. Upon impact, Kihal gagged at the strong blow on his left cheek as his body turned 180 degrees in the air and landed on his back with a cough.

 

Adjusting her gloves, Nico eyed the man with one brow raised, “Stand up,” she commanded in a serious tone, not even a hint of active competition in her words as she said them, eyes barren and void of any emotions.

 

Gritting his teeth, Kihal pushed his body upward with difficulty, reeling in the pain to avoid showing weakness to his opponent. However, as he did so, his hoodie fell off his head and limply bounced off his soaked shoulders. Whatever was underneath it had been a bit too much for show.

 

And by the way Nico’s face turned, his looks alone could be the death of anyone.

 

Hidden inside the hoodie was the pale face of Kihal’s. Cheeks highlighted by his narrow cheekbone, eyes the same shade of charcoal with his brother. Piercings on his ears and jawline could be a sign of someone dangerous.

 

But that wasn’t what made Nico stand up in paralysis.

 

His hair... To Nico, she’d seen Lucas’s dark black hair that looked almost as thick as the night sky. They weren’t any other color except for the color of the shadows. But Kihal...

 

He had none on his head.

 

Instead, his bald feature had a mark that resembles a triple-headed spear with the tips pointing to the front until it reached just above the forehead. It was painted in the color of blood, but it seemed more like a glowing curse mark than a simple tattoo.

 

Whatever this was, it looked similar to the one Nico has on her palm. Since it was just the same as hers...

 

That means his powers are also cursed.

 

Biting the bottom of her lip subtly, the red-eyed girl softened her gaze for a bit, “Not everyone gets whatever they want without a price,” she utters with pity, the distasteful tone on her voice goes unnoticed by the man currently standing up from the ground, “Which is why we face our lives ahead with questions... So many of them... And not a single one was answered...”

 

Taking a few more steps forward, Nico was at a millimeter distance with him, face leering upward at the height difference, but the both of them never backed down from the stares, “Had your life ever been the same since you got your powers?”, as soft as it was, she couldn’t deny how insensitive her inquiry was.

 

And she was answered by a scrunched up face and a hard punch to the side of her face, sending her to the other side of the road with a stumble and a smash to the building behind her. Her body went limp, but she kept a straight face.

 

Kihal clicked his tongue in disgust as he walked towards her, not much difficult than when he was about to stand up. His steps were slow, careful, nerve wracking. The pelts of the rain didn’t help to ease the tension as he went towards the girl, just a few meters away from her position.

 

“My life was a waste without my powers,” he lowly snarled, eyes void and cast downwards to Nico’s lifeless body, “Ever since I got them, I’ve had the best moments of my life. I’ve been able to express what I’ve kept inside of me for so long,” he started to show happiness in his way of speaking, tears dribbling down on his cheeks and blending in with the assault of the downpour.

 

With trembling arms, he gripped Nico’s collar by both hands and raised her in the air effortlessly, a mixture of sadness and joy imprinted on his face with the tears blending in to the devious smirk he wore, “And now, I can finally kill that ambitious brother of mine...,” he cackled maliciously, not even caring to glance up at his hostage, “I can finally surpass him! And no one can stop me once I’ve done that!!”

 

Not even bothering to struggle, the black-haired girl sighed as she stared into the face of the man in front of her, who was currently lifting her up as if she was weighed equal to a stack of hay. His dark expression she rivaled with lifeless ones, full of pity and another emotion one cannot simply understand inexperienced.

 

Apathy.

 

“Hmmph... what a coincidence,” shoving his hands away from her shirt, he withdrew them in surprise as she landed on her feet, expectant, “I was actually planning on killing him myself,” she said without any warning.

 

Kihal’s eyes widened at the revelation, jaw slacking from surprise and fear from the killer eyes that those red beaming orbs were showing him, “It’s a shame really,” she halted in front of him, then grinned manically as she kicked him by his torso, throwing him to a building as he passed through it and stumbled on the platform behind it.

 

“I was actually looking forward to competing with you. But your powers can only take you so far...,” she sped towards his pained form on the ground, blood trickling down from his right forehead and onto his jawline, “I’m afraid you won’t be able to handle my strength,” she hissed venomously as she kicked him once again, this time to the neck as he gagged out blood from his mouth before shooting towards a tall tower at mach speed to its highest peak.

 

Breaking windows, falling debris, blood rain, it was a sight to behold for Nico. For someone who doesn’t appreciate chaos, it would be a disaster to see this. But for someone who can see the good thing in the most phenomenal of situations, this moment is precious.

 

With a loud boom, the whole upper floor of the building collapsed as Kihal rocketed towards it, the foundation finding itself broken apart as they went flying into several pieces in the air like meteor showers. Tumbling inside while taking the full brunt of damage, the man found himself on the other end of the tall structure as he fell about ten feet off the ground towards a base of a small food chain restaurant, its roof almost immediately bore a hole as he broke it with his fall.

 

Coming down with a bang, he cried out in pain as the building he just passed by broke into huge chunks of debris and wrecked the streets with their weight. The cracks were massive enough that if added more pressure, a fissure would surely occur.

 

And these occurrences were putting a sadistic smile on Nico’s face.

 

“You know, you might just be the only one capable of equaling my flames...,” she showed her brimming red fire to her enemy on the ground, then pushed it straight to his face, dangerously close, “Just kidding!”, as happy go lucky as her voice was, the critical torture she was putting the man through was enough to know that this was going too far for a fight of the century.

 

Eyes closed and unlikely to open, Kihal only pressed his lips together as he foreseen the incoming attack to his face. It could possibly end his life, or just make him into a comatose state if lucky enough. But luck was not on his side, definitely.

 

But surprisingly enough, the incoming attack never came.

 

Instead, as he peaked out from a small narrow raise of his eyelids, a fiery bird had its claws tightly gripping Nico’s wrist, preventing her from landing so much as a hit towards him.

 

On her side was a girl with red hair that rivaled the bird’s, violet eyes sharp and determined. A hand laid on the red-eyed teen’s shoulder, her body stiffening as it did so.

 

“That’s enough, Nico,” Maki uttered as calmly as possible. While mustering up the courage to talk some sense into the raging girl, her innards were shivering like crazy. If she was about to collapse now, it would only worsen the situation. So to prevent all that, she stopped her nerves from getting the better of her.

 

Nico looked straight into Kihal, not showing any signs of surprise at the arrival of Maki, nor the restraints that were placed on her to stop her assault. However, she did stand up, brushed aside the claw and hand that were on her arms with a shrug as she turned her back on the man lying hopelessly on the ground.

 

“Whether you were lucky or not, I suppose it’s still a good thing,” she said without such malice from before, but with a tone that accepts the result regardless of their standing, “See ya later, Lucas’s brother,” she waved one last goodbye before leaving, dragging away Maki by the ankle along with the other two Spirit Animals.

 

Speechless at the outcome of the events, Kihal didn’t make the effort of standing up and just stayed on the ground, eyes too tired to open. Heavy breaths left his body as he struggled with his current condition.

 

“Haaaaah~... I guess now I know why you chose her as the holder of you book...,” he heaved out as he chuckled a little at the thought.

 

Before falling asleep on the spot, he thought about what last thing that he would’ve wanted to yell at this moment. His throat, however, couldn’t be in pitch condition for such, but he kept it in secret to himself.

 

“Brother... I’m sorry,” one last look at the dark sky was enough for his eyelids to close, rain continuing to pour down onto the ground as he let the droplets soak his clothes completely, not moving.

 

After all, he was defeated. And beaten up. And bruised quite badly. A good enough reason to not go back into the war.

 

And the thought kept him at a peaceful state as he drew his last breath before slowly succumbing to slumber for eternity.


	31. Episode 30

"Oi Nico!", difficultly dragging her feet behind her, the taller teen of the two struggled to walk as her companion held her by the arm. While her frustrated complaints were reasonable, the listener didn't seem to pay any heed to it.

 

Nico continued to move forward, not even stealing a single glance at the back to show that she'd been hearing her protests. Instead, she roughly pulled on the other's arm and trudged towards nowhere without any exchange of words.

 

Annoyed, Maki narrowed her eyes at the shorter girl. The pelting rain didn't lighten up her mood either so she was very much in a bad mood at the moment. Even with the height difference, their strengths didn't seem to equal in comparison. The grip on her elbow was very firm, not something that she can unlatch from her.

 

Another thing that disturbs her is the silence. Excluding the rain, pretty much nothing on the background had any interesting subjects to promote. Other than the constant growling of thunder, anything else never arouse.

 

Anything besides being with Nico in constant silence was better, she concluded hopelessly. Even their bickering was starting to rub on her that she'd gladly exchange that for... this.

 

Whatever the case was, it doesn't mean a thing if she can't have a good grasp at the situation. Which is hard enough to look at since there's nothing that could possibly explain how things ended up this way.

 

Maybe it's the rain that changed the mood. Or probably just the mood swings that Nico's been having as of late.

 

She'd never seen the shorter girl change emotions that fast from the past few days that they've been at each other's throats. Unlike before, she switched from angry to emotionless to satisfied and then being mysterious. All in all, it is getting on Maki's nerves.

 

Especially now that she refuses to exchange words with her, even as an excuse to just talk.

 

However, she did get a word out of her. But she didn't like it either way and would've preferred that she'd just never said anything in the first place.

 

"Quiet," Nico snapped back quickly, not even bothering to glance behind her as she did so.

 

Mouth thinly pressed, Maki's brows weaved and formed a connected perpendicular along with narrowed eyes. Perhaps she can just snap at the girl in front of her and relieve some stress along the way.

 

Though the rain continued to pour, rather strongly as time passed.

 

Maki noticed this, and she wondered if Nico had also been paying attention to the similar abnormality of weather changes. The rain pelted the ground, but they were at the size which dealt about a dent on the mud just from one drop. Before, they just flooded the place with the downpour. But now...

 

Just one drop was making holes on the land. Imagine a million of them diggin through dirt unintentionally.

 

This could be a conspiracy of a lifetime, but with a rather uninterested companion, Maki can hardly observe the strange patterns of the weather.

 

Something's not right, the redhead thought. It was hard to think when being dragged along the muddy trails of the suburbs. And it was harder to concentrate on anything if this whole dragging continues.

 

So she did one thing that made Nico snap back into reality: pried her arms away and pushed the other girl forward, a good distance now in between them as they stared into each other.

 

Both were wet from being exposed to this much rain. Their hair was dripping wet, Maki's lost their usual volume while Nico's drooped. Even in their twin tails, they were still the same as ever. But from her looks alone, Maki could tell.

 

There was definitely something going on.

 

"Er...," for starters, even if her curiosity was killing her to the point that it wiped out her pride, she was rarely one who would ask a lot of questions regarding things that are usually out of her interest. Humbly speaking, she was the typical quiet and stubborn type. Of course, anyone who would encounter Nico and know how she reacts to certain things would know how the redhead feels about talking to her, much less initiating a conversation.

 

Now was something that she really has to know, else she'd stay ignorant and it'd be too late for her to come back from being in the shadows, "How... are you holding up...?"

 

Rather than a plain and solemn question, it came out as an awkward and very unlike her. Maki would prefer being dead right now, or if she'd only have the power to summon holes and let it swallow her for all eternity. Facing this girl in front of her was a tougher situation to get through, much less getting into a talk with her.

 

And she just said something that even she would've been surprised of. How unruly, she'd thought to herself. She rarely cares for others, save for Eli, and maybe Umi and Honoka at that. The others seemed to have a spot on her heart as well but not much to dwell on, but this girl in front of her stayed not only in her heart but also in her head. Most of the time. And she was literally just asking her if she was alright after all that's happened.

 

The question she was supposed to ask was that if she had felt something that's completely odd, or if she has an uneasy feeling every now and then. Not a cheesy line that frequently comes from cheesy dumb romantic comedies.

 

There was something going on here, and if she can't figure out what this is, it's definitely going to be the end of her.

 

Of course, from all the contemplating she'd had, she never expected any response, which would surprise her if there were any—

 

"Are you actually concerned?", Nico raised a brow at her, a cheeky side grin currently resting rather comfortably on her face as if she'd been amused for quite a while now. After all, a very flustered and thoughtful beauty would make everyone gape and be interested.

 

Maki jumped from the unprecedented voice that snapped her out of her stupor. Not only was she thinking way into this, but she was spacing out! And it is a new experience for her, save for the fast beating of her heart whenever she saw the red-eyed girl grin at her.

 

"Wha—I was not! And just so you know, I'm only asking because Nozomi told me to look out for you!," tightly pressing her lips together, the redhead turned her head sideways and crossed her arms, feeling her cheeks light up from the constant looks that the black-haired girl gave her.

 

Snorting on the way Maki acts, Nico grinned even wider that her face looked too much for comfort. Even in the rain she stuck out like a pain in the head, "So you wouldn't care if Nozomi had told you otherwise?", she wiggled her brows up and down her forehead playfully as she asked.

 

Sneering, the amethyst-eyed teen side glanced at her, "Exactly."

 

"Are you sure?", surprised, Maki didn't have time to hide her expression when Nico suddenly held her hand, face flushing almost uncontrollably, "Someone who looks out for others wouldn't dare to step right in the middle of a war," the snide grin on the shorter girl's face was annoying, but Maki felt the opposite about it, "You could've just had your bird snatch me up, but you did it yourself, yeah?"

 

Lips quivering, Maki averted her gaze and refused to look at the other girl in the eye, "W-Well I was just doing what my instincts told me to do—"

 

"Instincts? Don't you mean complex? Probably a protective reflex!", a victorious smile was all it took for the redhead to remain silent and despondent, the combination of embarrassment and exasperation making her shut up on the spot with no comments to reply.

 

Sensing how the younger teen gave up on the chatter, the grin on Nico's face went extinct. Her mood changing as quickly as the wind blew. Her gaze once again turned dark and she just emptily stared at the taller girl.

 

The rain proved to be a rather challenging weather as it forced its way to the ground, now cracks showing on the cemented road. It was as if the droplets carried rocks with them and crashed as they were released from the clouds above.

 

Observing how difficult it was for the fiery bird to trudge in the middle of a storm, Maki retracted her Spirit Animal and had it disappear so as to let it rest from a day of chase.

 

Nico did the same for her wolf, but without sympathy in her eyes. She was concerned, sure, but she had other thoughts. And her mind was flying elsewhere.

 

Worry was etched on Maki's face when she saw the expression on the shorter girl's face, "Are you okay?", this was the second time she had shown care for anyone, specifically for Nico. But this time, she had no difficulties in expressing her concern for her, and was actually genuine with it.

 

Only problem was, Nico didn't really thought much about her question.

 

She did, however, sense an overwhelming despair from the other side of the road.

 

And she hoped nothing bad happened, else this may end up being a disaster.

 

"Blood...," Maki tensed up when she heard what Nico muttered. She was neither loud nor quiet when she spoke, but it felt as though it was ringing inside her head, leaving the younger girl thinking about what the other said.

 

"W... What?", it was a rather weak attempt on knowing Nico's thoughts as to why she said so, but the grave tone that she used was enough to send chills down the redhead's spine. And it was making her nauseous and horrified.

 

Exhaling a rather hitched breath, the black-haired girl scowled at whatever it was she was sensing. Her teeth became visibly bare and sharp. Eyes bloodshot, as if they weren't either way with their natural color. But now, it seemed to be a bit darker than usual.

 

And they were deadly.

 

"Aleister...! You son of a...!", if she continued her foul language, Maki would've stopped her by a slap on the back of her head. But with the animosity, and grudge on Aleister for no reason and out of the blue, she just stared as Nico went out of her way to tremble in anger.

 

Something is definitely up, now Maki was sure of it. Nico had caught up on it, after all.

 

So if this something had to do with Aleister, then...

 

"Let's go!"

 

"Wha—?!", with a tight grip on Maki's collar by the back of her shirt, Nico dashed forward with speed that definitely put most engines to shame with just a push from her feet. The ground—rather, the solid road—broke off into chunks and scattered behind them, the strong push of her legs creating enough force to break even the road into pieces.

 

Maki wailed under her grip, however. She was left to worry about her shirt, whether it was sturdy enough to not rip right her and now or if the other girl loosened her hold of her and she fell to the ground with a loud thud and cracks from her broken bones.

 

Those didn't sound pleasant for her. And she was blaming the shorter girl for that.

 

But focusing on the matter, if Nico was provoked this much then whatever happened must be crucial and definitely something to worry about. Through her clothes, she can feel the slight tremor of the red-eyed girl's hands, either she found the girl heavy or it was the tension and fear.

 

The first one didn't seem to fit at a time like this, so most likely the second would come to mind.

 

Another thunder roared above, and seconds later, lightning struck. This time, the impact loud and powerful that they felt the strong impulse on the ground even when they were midair at the moment. That strike was strong enough to send the earth shaking in just one go.

 

And it was close on the area where Aleister was currently surrounded with Nozomi and the others.

 

Who were on the ground, bruised and limp, lifeless and unmoving.

 

Maki's eyes widened at the sight, so did Nico's. The gruesome frame of having them picturesquely dead in front was making them gag and had vile rise from the pits of their throats. They weren't really in that much danger, the blood quite less than expected, but their heavily breathing bodies were enough to get them pumped up with adrenaline.

 

And a little bit of anger.

 

A growl, strong and deep, erupted from Nico's thorax, body tense but shaking heavily under the gaze of a bloody man who's hands were dirtied by the blood of their friends, "Aleister...!", she cursed several times under her breath, and apparently it was nothing more of a whisper and Maki was grateful because she'd rather have her get mad without having to use such foul language.

 

The man in front of them didn't mind the threatening sound, instead it seemed to serve as a fuel for him to take this chance as a communicative way to enact his victory, "Ah, Yazawa! It's good to see you're alive! And may I say, I've expected to meet you a little early, but perhaps Kihal was strong enough to keep you at bay for more than I have bargained for," he clapped his hands gracefully, unaffected by the leer that Nico's been giving him for the whole duration of his speech.

 

"And you expect me to believe that shit?! You've been hiding your true powers and now you're throwing away your best man just so you can fulfill your statement?!", the black-haired girl barked back, a snarl slowly growing on her face as she continued with her piercing gaze at the man.

 

Aleister shrugged and kept his smirk, "Well, one's goal cannot be reached without any sacrifices to give. And Kihal was just someone who does all of my dirty work," he stated, keeping his eye level directly above the other two, towering them with laser focus and a solemn glare.

 

Maki doesn't dare to interrupt their little arrangement and, instead, opts to rush towards Eli and the others who were on the ground, burnt skin and bruises adorned them as they were unconscious.

 

It may be the lightning, the redhead thought. One would think so, of course. If they were beaten this quickly, then the most logical conclusion would be the tremendous strike of bolt on the ground.

 

But unlike passive shockwaves, it doesn't necessarily leave them with active and still fresh wounds that could be hidden from their sleeves and shirts. Lightning can't just hit them in one go while leaving a gaping hole on their clothes.

 

So she concluded that they might have been for another attack that Aleister hid from them.

 

Besides that, none of them were badly injured. But Nozomi looked like she was writhing in pain, and she didn't seem to have any scratches on her.

 

The only visible difference was that a strange mark now became clear on her neck, a tribal tattoo in the color of red that slowly wrapped around her nape and had her on a chokehold.

 

Gritting her teeth, Maki immediately made a beeline towards the purple-haired girl, placing her head gently on her lap as she tried to look for any clues that might help her stop this mark from spreading.

 

It looked complicated somehow, and she was never one to work with complications simply because she was never taught any of those. She was only left with basic first aid treatments and procedures that could only help with wounds and bruises and mild diseases. Anything involving magic or supernatural powers were out of her control.

 

So with a sweaty face, she bit her bottom lip, thinking of anything that can at least get her to stop the pain on Nozomi, however she is affected by it.

 

Her nerves were getting the better of her at this moment, and she was stressed out by all of these events in one go. She'll have to use the piwers of her Spirit Animal at this rate, but she doesn't dare make a fool out of herself by having her partner do things that neither of them even knew at all.

 

She was as tense as a cactus in a desert, to say the least.

 

But not all of her nervousness came from that alone.

 

The silhouette of a person standing behind her had her perk up in horror. She dare not glance back, but her fear was eating at her alive.

 

But she didn't have the chance either way when a gloved hand held her head, and then she started to lose her own consciousness when her body slowly dropped to the ground, unable to move.

 

"What a pity. It seems you, dare I say, rebels, need more discipline to improve. But I'll make sure to take care of that. And that you are to never be able to apprehend my plans by all means," the distinct dark voice that came from behind her was from Aleister, no doubt. And the thought about having him being the winner of this fight was something that Maki's been afraid of.

 

With one last energy to glance at another angle, she saw Nico lying just a few feet away from her, hair sprawled all over and her clothes were slightly tattered.

 

She was beaten that quickly without Maki knowing how exactly, and even if she knew that Aleister would be capable of such, she knew that she was no match for him.

 

After all, the Lone Savage defeated the arsonist. But if Aleister could beat Nico, then she'd wonder who would be able to beat him now.


	32. Episode 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys, I’m gonna be straight honest with you. This is the second to the last arc of this story and, whether I get tired or not, I’ll finish this before or after April hits/ends. Since most arcs usually end up at about five or six chapters, there’s not much to write. More or less, the estimated end line of this is about March at most, if I’m generous and hardworking enough. But I will never give up on this! This is going to be my first, and I am finishing it even if it kills me! So hang on guys! Hahahahah!
> 
> Thanks for all the support. I just saw that my hits went 2k! And since I’m relatively new here, it’s practically a big achievement! Kudos to all of you!

Fire. Brimming to the depths of a towering mansion that was once the pride and joy of a generally optimistic family. The glorious abode, trampled in woodpiles and debris and overtaken by monstrous flames.

 

Along its destruction laid two, who were once parents, good and caring. Their lifeless bodies carried burdens, both for their one and only child, and towards the Government. However, they sent all of those worries with them to the afterlife.

 

Now, leaving their little child alone, watching them get eaten by the humongous flames, they were incapable of raising it towards the greater good. They left it without the complete guidance towards the future.

 

And the child was left with the traumatic experience of getting left behind through cremation.

 

But she was told one thing by the once-alive parent, the silhouette overshadowed it before giving its farewell words.

 

"Live for the truth and your ideals, Kotori."

 

Gasping aloud, the ashen-haired girl awoke with cold sweat, breath catching up to her heartbeat as she winced at the splitting headache that she woke up with.

 

Remembering almost nothing that happened during the past few days, she was left with nothing but a migraine and some regrets. Guilt and worry about to eat her alive if she weren't careful as to not succumb to the negativity of reality.

 

She caught glimpses of memories from earlier. How she saw Aleister and just charged straight at him, two swords at hand and with a dark and deadly heart set on attacking him. How she knocked him off his feet and pushed him. How she almost managed to wreck the entire place, and their cottage.

 

And almost killing Umi.

 

Of all people, it was Umi who had managed to calm her down, at least for a bit until Hanayo did something when she touched her. She would assume it was something that Nozomi was sure to be the root of her sleep. Anesthesia was never her forte, but Kotori was certain that the purple-haired girl had drugged her to calm her down.

 

At least, that was what she could deduct with a headache.

 

Finally feeling the strong air of an open window beside her, she looked onto the outside with heavy eyelids. Her golden orbs scrunched up when she saw that daylight didn't seem to be on her favor today as it was raining heavily, the trees swaying dangerously to the sides as if they were going to be uprooted anytime soon.

 

This was her room, she thought. It had her smell, her bed, her desk and chair, the place that seemed like it was something she owned. She can still smell the lingering scent of Umi beside her.

 

But she felt no warmth.

 

She supposed it was morning because Umi never was the type to be a sleepyhead. Her strictness reminded her of someone who would be up at 5 in the morning and would wake up the rest of the household because of her strict regime.

 

Although she did thought that way, she can't help but get the feeling that something's wrong. The whole house was deathly quiet and even the tiniest of creeks could be heard across the corridors.

 

But the mighty wind blew like it was unrestrained and free to push. The weather was very frightening, and the nightmare earlier didn't help to calm her nerves.

 

So reluctantly, Kotori swept the blanket off of her and pushed them to the side, swinging her legs to the bedside and put on her slippers. She walked towards the door and saw that it was open.

 

It was rather strange since she remembers how Umi would silently close the door so that Kotori wouldn't be disturbed in her sleep whenever she sneaked out to eat breakfast early. So it couldn't have been the bluenette to do so.

 

The heavy silence didn't help her curiosity as she walked down the hallway and towards the steps, glancing around to find that no one was stationed on the couch nor on the chairs. The living room was empty, and the only thing worth keeping an eye on were the devices that Nozomi had stashed up in her closet full of trinkets.

 

If she let these out then something did happen, Kotori thought to herself.

 

She slowly peaked at the kitchen, hoping that Nico would at least be cooking something. It didn't have to be Nico but anyone's good.

 

However, she was disappointed to find the kitchen empty as well. And she reminded herself that Nico was tied down by Aleister yesterday.

 

At least, she thought it happened yesterday...

 

Huffing out a heavy breath, she trudged towards the front door, hoping to clear her mind at all of the silence and everything that was going on.

 

But when she saw how dark clouds formed at the city beyond their cottage, Kotori wondered if there was something going on over there.

 

'It wouldn't hurt to check,' she closed the door and rushed to chnge her clothes, which were her sleepwear and would've been changed by Umi or Nozomi last night.

 

Maybe from another night, she thought as she couldn't remember anything happening before that fight. And if she was sleeping off from a whole day or more, then it would be a disaster.

 

Besides, if all of that did happen yesterday, the place couldn't hide it from her when dust formed at the top of the table in the living room, even blanketing the devices on it.

 

When she did get a pair of outdoor clothes to eventually leave the house with, she opened the front door once more to be greeted by a powerful gust of wind almost knocking her off her feet.

 

Good thing she was clutching onto the doorframe very tightly, else she'd crash into the wall.

 

Quickly closing the door behind her, she glanced at her surroundings, which looked like they've either wilted or just forgot about living and slumped on the ground, dry and very much squished on the ground by the typhoon that practically traveled all the way towards here.

 

Biting her lower lip, Kotori saw the difference between the place where they once lived peacefully in the cottage, to now that looked like it was swept by a storm.

 

Which is kind of what happened in reality.

 

Carefully margining her path, step by step, she walked the whole way to Otonokizaka City. One might think that it was a crazy idea to walk in the middle of a typhoon while having the distance that even vehicles are taking much more time to get to.

 

Of course, Kotori wasn't just anyone. She had help from her Spirit Animals.

 

And right now, she needed her dragon's strong wings to help her get to Otonoki faster without any difficulty.

 

And so she did.

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rubbles. Debris. The whole city was a mess. Buildings and structures were wrecked like a giant bulldozer just passed through it once or twice. The road was destroyed and the cars were smushed in between chunks of fallen debris from high towers.

 

Kotori gasped at the sight of it all. When she had her dragon hover on the ground, she slowly jumped off from its back to take in all of this. This...

 

She had missed this sight for who knows how long it had been like this.

 

This was the epitome of a disaster. Everything was very much just pieces from what they used to be. It would probably take a millennium just to set it back on track. And disregarding the irreplaceable objects, everything could be fixed for a very long time with hard work.

 

However, to Kotori, just the sight of it all was enough for her hope to disappear. It was heartbreaking how she couldn't witness this and stop it from happening. If she had been awake... If she had been here the whole time to stop whatever happened then...

 

She may have been able to change the future.

 

But then again, she may only be holding everyone back if she were here.

 

No one knew exactly what would happen. And even if she was here, no one can say she could have prevented all of this. No one could predict that she'd be able to stop this.

 

No one did. So she accepted the fact that she was useless in protecting the city.

 

Keeping her attention away from the negative thoughts, she observed the whole city once more. Just to get a thorough check on every part of the city. The walls, the wreckage, whatever was left of a building...

 

And the most obvious part of all this was the burnt marks on the ground.

 

Not the typical burnt marks. Like there had been a huge force that basically gapped the whole land through, a crater now adorned the ground like a huge dent. It was as if meteors came out from the sky and rained down from above.

 

They were unnecessarily nerve wracking, to be exact.

 

But the strange discoloration of the cement dictates that it wasn't just a force that mades its way to punch on the road. It was like...

 

It was as if a huge thunder struck down on Earth and created this...

 

Kotori couldn't avoid that being a possibility, what with the strong typhoon emerging from out of nowhere. After all, one cannot really say what has happened unless they've seen it with their own eyes.

 

So the only thing she can do right now was assume different scenarios and narrow them down to the more relatively appropriate.

 

She was not a detective, much less someone who has a very active imagination. Leave that to Nozomi, and maybe Rin and Honoka who have the most standoff-ish of thoughts.

 

She can, however, think of several thoughts that are most likely to be the cause.

 

There is Aleister...

 

'Aleister...'

 

The mere thought about the man made Kotori's blood boil inside her. Sure she can't really control her emotions when it came down to that person but...

 

If she went on a wild exertion then she'll just be wasting time.

 

But she couldn't really think of any other possible reasons that are more closer to the scenario than having Aleister in the picture. It was a very obvious thought. No one can do this much damage, unless they are thunder summoners and can cause this much destruction in a day.

 

It has been a day since then... right?

 

Now that she thought about it, Kotori never really bothered to know what time and date it was. She'd just assumed that it was the day after their fateful encounter with the Governor.

 

Anyone would.

 

So she never really questioned the day. And more or less, it was very irrelevant to her at this time. But now that she has her mind on it...

 

She checked her phone to look at the date, then realized that she had left it back at the cottage on top of her desk. It was stupid of her, she admitted, but she couldn't do a thing about it now.

 

If she can find other things to have her know about today's date...

 

Well...

 

"How can I find anything under this mess?", she thought out loud at seeing the pile of debris surrounding her. Everything collapsed so there are rarely anything that are still in one piece. Other that the partially damaged buildings and houses, nothing seemed to be standing out to her.

 

Except a shimmering object just across her spot.

 

It looked like it was silver, so it had caught the immediate attention of the brunette. She was curious as well since that looked brand new even though it was under the heavy weather for heaven knows how long.

 

But it did look fairly familiar to her, so she couldn't help but check it out upon a closer inspection.

 

How she really wanted to make second guesses at that time.

 

When she was about to pick it up, she realized that it really was something she recognized. It was the watch that Nozomi always puts on her pocket whenever she goes out of the house. She never departs without it and it would attract Kotori's attention as to why the purple-haired girl never leaves without it.

 

She never takes it out of her sight, so the mere vision of seeing it on the muddy puddle in front of her was a first. Nozomi would never do that to her things, least of all the things she cherishes the most.

 

And when she realized it was a crucial object to own, she picked it up from the ground and wiped off the dirt and wetness.

 

It was a watch, so she can check the date and time with it. And her eyes widened when she finally knew what today was.

 

She remembered what day it was she was discharged from the hospital and fought Aleister. It was now...

 

It has been exactly a week since it happened. And Kotori doesn't know how to react to this.

 

If one week did pass by... she wondered what kind of things have happened by now.

 

And she worried for Umi and the others for their safety. Lest her sanity kills her before she can know they're safe and sound.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The light pitter patter of the drainage weren't loud, but they did cause a stir to one of the few occupants of a rustic cell. It was some sort of an underground base, possibly hidden deep within the sewerage area as the place was full of algae and mud.

 

A few clanging of metals were heard, and a few more stirs came from a body limply lying on the cold floor.

 

Maki softly rubbed her eyes as she felt the coolness of the place she fell asleep on hit her cheek. Her body was cold, and her feet were shackled onto the railing of the cell she was in.

 

Well, in the cell they were in.

 

The redhead looked around her, taking her time to register the place she is in right now. The others were there, lying on the ground and unconscious. She had never been to this place, so she's a bit dumbfounded at her own ignorance.

 

Biting her lip, she tried to remember the last thing to ever happen. And that was Aleister knocking Nico down, and from the looks of it, she was knocked down as well.

 

Doesn't explain why they were here though.

 

She carefully glanced around once more, then she spotted a girl with light brown hair at the corner of the prison cell. She was familiar, of course. And she'd be dumb to not recognize her.

 

It was Tsubasa.

 

She had a bandage wrapped around her head, completely covering her eyes but her nose and below were free from restriction. She was bruised and beaten up just from the looks of her state.

 

She would've immediately came to her aide if it weren't for the shackles preventing her from standing up.

 

Gulping down nervously, she bit her bottom lip as she was slowly digesting their current location. Tsubasa is here, and Aleister was the one who, as he said before, practically tortured her to this predicament. And if she would think about the possibility, then they were probably in a base, someplace that the Government owned.

 

And this wasn't looking good for them. Not in the very least.


	33. Episode 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really sorry about this guys. I know I said I’d be putting all of my time here, but I’ve just had my exams, and another one by mid month. I can’t really put all of my time in just here, but I’m trying. And I’m not giving this story up. Not ever. I will finish this even if I have to make the ending short.
> 
> Again, so sorry for the late updates. I’ll try to update next week Thursday if I can catch up. Not only am I busy, my poor memory is also a hindrance so it’s kind of a nuisance and all.
> 
> Anyways, thanks for all the support, even though this story is a bit... well, you know... this and that. See you next Thursday (hopefully).

The rain had stopped unexpectedly yesterday, and Kotori was sure enough that the world had waited for her to be enlightened before it decided to withdraw its phenomenon on the world. It was mockingly deft at timing the best moment, and with her finding out about her absence was a very climactic experience.

 

Though it did not give her any positive feedback. She just found out that she was asleep for a whole week, and who knows how long her friends were missing. And she won't just sit idly by and wait for miracles to happen just because she's been missing in action for almost a month now!

 

All of her tears were dried by the time the sun ascended in the sky, and she has had enough of crying over spilled milk. It won't do any good, she told herself countless times. She wasn't going to forget that, nor will she be able to forgive herself for not doing something earlier.

 

Even if she had known, she was basically counting straws right now. She doesn't have a clue as to where they are, nor how she'll find them. It would happen somehow, but she needs to be patient and think thoroughly about the situation. Other than having Aleister involved, she can't think of other things that can lead her to seeing her friends again.

 

But a sight of a fire from a corner by the broken debris caught ahold of her attention, and she stepped closer to entertain her curiosity.

 

If only she was in a state that could help to ease her rage, then perhaps she could've somewhat calmed down when she saw what was in front of her.

 

It was a man in a hoodie. A familiar garment that she could pretty much remember throughout her life. It was always stuck on her mind ever since her parents were burned along with their house, and the man hunched over the broken pavement was the cause of her demise.

 

He was the arsonist.

 

Hands shook as she gritted her teeth to partially stop her tenseness and anger. As if finding out that Aleister had been a culprit to the disappearance of her friends, she just had to find the killer on the same day.

 

Funny how the world works this time around.

 

She wanted to murder this man. Give him pain that equaled, maybe surpassed, the agony that she and other families had suffered from his actions. It wasn't just a simple apology that she wanted.

 

She wanted to kill him.

 

But when she saw how he was pale and unmoving, her body flinched. Reality dawned on her as she finally saw the state that the man was in.

 

He was already dead.

 

"..."

 

A thin line formed on her face as she kept a straight face, trying to register that the man she sought out for was already in the afterlife and that she no longer has to worry about him. A part of her was grateful, and another felt pity. Somewhere deep within her, Kotori knew that this man had reasons for his actions. And although she cannot get herself to believe in these reasons, she still wonders what they were to have him kill thousands.

 

She was admitting that he, the arsonist, was also human that made him a person that has a dream, and probably something he wanted to achieve.

 

And that was a good enough reason for her to leave him alone. So she left.

 

But she stopped on her steps when she realized that the fire she saw earlier was burning on the top of his chest. And for some reason, it doesn't look like it's going to be put out. It's like it had a life of its own.

 

And she was mildly curious as to why it seemed so.

 

Carefully, she crouched down and stared at the fire weirdly. It doesn't seem like it's different from any normal flame, but it was consistent in its shape that it didn't look like it was animated. Sure it was glowing, but as if time had stopped, its movements were frozen.

 

It took almost every bit of her rational thoughts just to stop Kotori from grabbing it and examining it from a closer view. But that was pointless when the curious part of her decided to just go for it and hold the fire on her hands.

 

But as she did so, her mind blanked. Literally. And she was sent to another place with the fire now scorching on her palm.

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

_"Brother, please!"_

_Gasping for air, Kotori looked around her to see a world that is mostly black, grey and white. She was in a room that consisted of a desk, a bed and a bookshelf squeezed together by the corner while the rest was spacious._

_Along with her, there were two people inside the room. One was the voice she heard, which belonged to a boy that had unruly black hair and similarly colored irises. He was in a position that looked like he was pleading to someone, whom she had presumed was the person he was talking to._

_The other man was slightly taller and mature, his body straight and eyes empty and dark as the night sky. His midnight hair was whisked to the side that it was formed in a shape of spikes on the edges. His lips were thin and his eyes bore holes into the younger teen of the two._

_"Give it up, Kihal. You need to know your place," the older man said in a tone that was harsh and cold and devoid of any emotion, turning his back on the latter, Kihal, as he slowly walked towards the door._

_Eyes widening in fear and rejection, Kihal moved forward and grabbed the sleeve of the elder, eyes soulful and teary, "Brother, I can't... I don't want to be left alone. I want to fight with you!", he defended, shouting at the top of his lungs from all the crying and force he put on his words._

_But even with all of that, it wasn't enough to pass through the wall that the eldest put up._

_At least, that was what Kotori saw from her point of view._

_The other man didn't say anything and left, closing the door behind him with a loud thud that echoed across the whole room. The younger flinched at the sound the door made as his tears fell onto the floor continuously._

_The moment of silence was enough for Kotori to actually guess their identities. While she wasn't really familiar with their personal status, she did know that they were brothers, very much lookalikes and has the same hair and eye color._

_They were the Magician and the Arsonist._

_The older would be the Magician, Kotori presumed, while the one left inside the room was the Arsonist. Unlike who she saw in the real world (she doesn't know if she's still in their world), this younger version of him still had his hair, wavy and smoother around the edges, unlike his brother's._

_But she was not mistaking this. They really were the brothers of chaos, as others would gladly name them in other terms._

_While she felt deep hatred towards this man for killing her parents, she couldn't help but pity how he practically begged his brother not to leave him alone in this place. It was heart wrenching just watching him bawl his eyes out on the floor, wiping them profusely without stopping as the tears ran down his face like a river._

_Her features softened at the sight, and she couldn't help but shed a few tears as well._

_But her emotional state was broken when she gasped at the person behind the young teen in front of her. A gloved hand that was unmistakably from a wealthy heritage. And a staff that was a Magic Item no less. That shaggy brown hair and those messed up hazel eyes that haunted them for goodness how long._

_Of course, they belong to the one and only Aleister._

_"Tch tch, how pitiful, my dear Kihal. Even your brother rejected you. What a sorrowful sight to bear," his venomous tone hissed by the boy, Kihal's, ear, a smirk playfully crawling on his face._

_A shiver suddenly went down Kotori's spine just from the sight of the crazy Government leader manipulating the poor soul of the one named Kihal. He was in a very delicate state that even just white lies are enough to send him into despair._

_Mouth crumbling and eyebrows wrinkling, the young man blanched when he heard his sinister voice from behind, but he couldn't stop thinking how his words were stabbing him in his heart because they were right. Because he couldn't deny that this man was saying the truth._

_Fidgeting in his spot, Kihal stared at the door, eyes drooping and slowly losing its color, the once pure black were now empty, not really much of a difference but in other terms, they lost their shine._

_They were hollow._

_Sighing a deep exhale, Aleister moved his hand down to have it rest on the young teen's chest, a magic circle forming in between and piercing through Kihal, who had gasped at the pain striking him suddenly._

_"This will be your little remorseful gift from me, as a token of appreciation for your... per se, devotion to my plans as of today," chuckling grimly, Aleister withdrew his hand from his chest, which had formed a searing flame that passed through Kihal's chest and into his heart._

_The younger man could no longer think straight, nor could he even comprehend what was right from wrong. Hell, he couldn't even think rationally._

_Because all of his thoughts were filled with hatred for the man who left him behind. The one who was broken a promise._

_His brother._

_And before she could witness any more of the next outcome, Kotori was enveloped in a white smoke, swirling around her and whisking her away, slowly tearing her apart from the small room and pushing her through the wall towards the outside._

_And there she saw the Magician, hat tipped slightly that his face couldn't be seen. He was standing by the doorway, unmoving and silent. And Kotori wondered what he was thinking right now. And then she saw them._

_Tears._

_They were dripping down his cheeks like raindrops falling from the slippery slope of the leaves. They were pushed down by gravity and descended towards the hardwood floor, crashing without as much as a sound to be heard by any._

_But the feelings she felt were more than what words could ever interpret. It was sincere and genuine, and it held more emotions than one could ever see from afar. It was full of passion and affection that just the sight of gritted teeth could be favored for more._

_And here she was, pitying the Magician, whom she thought was the one who started this whole mess to the world from the start. Someone who cannot deserve kindness and forgiveness, even after years' worth of sacrifice._

_Someone who cannot even acknowledge their own family._

_But now she knows why. A little bit, actually. She wasn't a mind reader, and she clearly doesn't know where (or when) this happened so she never really knew the details, but based on what she knows, she interpreted all the signs from earlier and concluded, somehow, a reasonable fact:_

_He didn't want his brother to be involved in his life as a fugitive._

_She can sense this to be true, and the more she thought about it being real, the more she felt compassion to this man, who withstood his emotions and denied his brother's help in order to protect him._

_And Aleister had sabotaged that._

_The wails of the Magician in front of her was drowning her in the same emotion. She could feel the tears pooling in her eyes from just the thought and sight of someone having to leave his family behind. It hurt her._

_Because that's how she felt when she left her home, years ago._

_Now (the present, she meant, if this world is like a memory of some sort), his brother is dead, and she couldn't imagine what it must feel for him to have thought that someone he hesitantly left had been killed._

_All because the Government couldn't wait to torture this poor soul._

_Kotori wiped away the tears in her cheeks, eyes still a bit red but her face was determined. The Government was her main priority to destroy, the Arsonist second and the Magician third. But now, things have changed._

_Only Aleister stood in her way._

_And the thought put her at ease for a moment, before a thick fog enveloped her yet again and then she was sent away, towards the heavens as she looked down to the sobbing man, eyes still staring at him with concern and grief._

_And the feeling was there when she returned back._

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kotori gasped when she woke up, lying on the ground with a burning red flame in her hand. She was on her back near a broken wall, with the dead Arsonist, Kihal, by her side.

 

Ignoring how her stomach churns at the thought of sleeping with a dead man beside her, she stood up from her uncomfortable position and dusted her clothes off. She must've been lying here for a long time because dust seemed to cling on to her shirt and it didn't take her just a few pats to remove them.

 

Heaving out a sigh from her rather interesting adventure just a few moments ago, she glanced around to see that nothing has changed from when she first saw the place. Except for the time of the day.

 

It was noon.

 

Frowning as she remembered what she had just witnessed, she slowly looked down to the flame on her palm. It was still burning, not even showing any signs of dying. And if she was correct, then this thing may be the cause of that... that...

 

That memoir.

 

It was a memory, she breathed. It couldn't have been anything else since it looked like it was the cause of this family-hunting. And besides, the man in front of her was nowhere near the age of whom she had seen earlier, so it could mean that it came from his past.

 

However, it doesn't really explain why this fire is still burning. Or better yet, why it had been on Kihal's chest.

 

"I think I can answer that."

 

Kotori flinched. She would be lying if she said she wasn't surprised by the sudden voice popping up from behind her. And she certainly won't admit that she had been unprepared at hearing it.

 

Though the voice did sound oddly familiar. Not the same kind of familiarity that had to do with her family or relatives. She has heard of this tone somewhere.

 

And yes, she wasn't wrong, when she said that this voice was the same as what she had heard from the memory.

 

It belonged to the Magician. And if he was behind her, then it could probably mean trouble.

 

Or not.


	34. Episode 33

"You... You're...!"

 

Raising an eyebrow at Kotori's stuttering, the Magician pulled down his hat and held it by his right hand, letting loose his tamed and pointed black hair. His charcoal eyes softened at the sight of the brunette mumbling words that spelled how nervous she was at his presence.

 

Or maybe it was vice versa.

 

"I see you've touched the flames I left him," he softly glanced down towards the fire burning  on her palm, nostalgia clearly seen in his irises if observed.

 

Snapping out of her nervous stupor, Kotori curiously glanced at the flames, frowning, "You gave him this? I thought...," she gulped down, thinking of possible ways at which this conversation could turn into, "I thought Aleister gave him his powers..."

 

Now raising both of his brows, the Magician looked at her weirdly, "Erm, not exactly. That's not really his powers," he pointed out.

 

"Eh?", Kotori blurted out, dumbfounded at the revelation.

 

Chuckling at her reaction, he shook his head, "I gave him that to make sure he has good memories to hold. But it seemed that the only memory that he wants to remember is the day I left him."

 

The atmosphere grew heavy, Kotori felt. And it wasn't from the weather this time. She can practically feel the guilt eating away at the man in front of her. She was never really a fan about knowing him much, but even she can tell that he was easy to read as an open book right now. He was radiating off a very sad aura.

 

And she was a bit affected by it.

 

"Uhm...," she mumbled out to gain his attention, not really knowing what to say to him for comfort, but she does try, "I... I'm sure he doesn't hate you..."

 

'Why did I say that?!', the ashen-haired girl silently scolded herself at the lack of words to tell, berating her choice of words at the time.

 

It must be a very confusing day for the Magician because he keeps raising his eyebrows at this girl, who looked as lost as she was earlier. And he couldn't help but chuckle at her antics, his mood being lifted from their emo-state.

 

"I'm not sure about that... But I believe you," he said genuinely and stared at her golden orbs, his black ones soft but clear and sharp.

 

Stopping her frantic actions, Kotori glanced up to meet his gaze, his reassuring look made her feel calmer at how he accepted her comforting words.

 

At least, she hoped he had been comforted by them.

 

A soft breeze blew, drawing the attention of the Magician towards the sky. He inhaled and let out a deep sigh as he stared at the blue hue from above, lips thinning, "I no longer have to keep an eye out for my brother—well, it seems like the roles are reversed now. But I'll keep in mind that he is safe and happy somewhere," he breathed out with a contented smile and a relaxed expression.

 

Looking up towards the sky, Kotori nodded at his resolve and opted to smile when her thoughts drifted towards the person she cared about most.

 

Umi...

 

She couldn't help but think about her—no, about their safety. If they were alright at the moment. If Aleister did keep them imprisoned somewhere, then she needed to act fast.

 

Before it's too late.

 

"Can I help?", if the Magician can read minds, then he might've read Kotori's at the moment because he just asked her if he can help.

 

Speechless at his sudden proposal, the golden-eyed girl just sheepishly rubbed her cheek, "Uh... I-I'm not... I don't even know where they are...," she hopelessly admitted while avoiding eye contact with the man, embarrassed that she couldn't even locate her friends and here she was, trying to search for them without any clues to their whereabouts.

 

"Ah, don't worry about that. We'll figure it out on the way," the Magician tipped his hat over his head before placing it back, hiding back his eyes but showing his smirk, "Besides, I may or may not have placed a spell on Nico to keep track of her," he grinned mischievously at his admittance.

 

Gulping down nervously, Kotori's eyes darted all over the place at the thought of someone like the Magician placing a spell that can track someone on one of her friends. It was... well...

 

It kind of reminded her of Nozomi's usual behavior. And it may have lessened her nervousness of him a bit.

 

"Oh yeah, I haven't really introduced myself, have I?", at a shake of her head, the man smiled softly, "I'm Lucas. Everyone knows me as the Magician, but I'm sure you already know that bit, so I suggest you just use my name for easier measures," he offered his hand for her to shake, which she took reluctantly.

 

But she did heave out a sigh.

 

"I'm Kotori. Nice to meet you, Lucas."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walking down the forest was weird, especially when you're accompanied by the Magician—or, Lucas as he was named. Of course, by weird, it wasn’t meant like a bad thing. More like...

 

... Awkward?

 

Kotori did not mind the company. Though she just wished that they had something in common to talk about. Well, there is.

 

But it wouldn’t be a proper topic to begin with.

 

The only ties that they could possibly bind with were the Spirit Animal cases, the arsons, Aleister, and Nico. Personally, Nico would be a better choice to talk about.

 

But what could possibly push Kotori to talk to him?

 

None. So she kept quiet. Though dealing with silence was a very tough job, speaking towards someone you have deep-seeded hatred for almost half of your life would clearly be more worse.

 

In other words, Kotori is torn.

 

But the awkward silence was lifted eventually. And Lucas was the one to initiate the conversation, much to Kotori’s relief.

 

“I see you’ve met Nico,” his voice was neutral, and the ashen-haired girl could barely get any emotion out of it. It was hard to tell whether the man was serious or he was also bothered by the fact that they were teaming up for a rescue mission, even through this awkward tension.

 

Pressing her lips, Kotori nodded shyly, “Yeah... We kind of gotten ambushed by her a month ago in her... confused state. But it wasn’t a bad meeting,” she subconsciously rubbed the barely visible scar on her arm at the memory of Nico slashing her flesh in terror.

 

It wasn’t traumatic, unlike what Aleister and Kihal had put her through in her early years of age.

 

Humming in amusement, Lucas turned to look at her, this time with a smile, “I see. So Nico’s still bothered by the fact that she can’t be sober most of the time during her full phase as a werewolf,” he deducted.

 

Kotori shook her head, “I think she’s dealing with it fine. Now, she can even transform a part of her body, and even then she’s still powerful,” her eyes softened at the thought that Nico had indeed matured enough to know the limits of being the Savage. But she didn’t let it get to her so she was calm throughout her faze as a lycan.

 

Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a smirk play its way to Lucas’s face, a glint of mystery on his iris, “She can, huh? I guess being with all of you made it possible for her to understand the fundamental value of a bond between humans and Spirit Animals.”

 

“Fundamental value?”, Kotori tapped her finger on her chin at what she just heard. It was the first time that she had heard about the value of bonds, especially involving Spirit Animals.

 

Nodding, Lucas slowly grazed his hand on the leaves above him, gazing at the sky with a smile, “Through bonding, we make the most out of our relationship. Our essence, our breaths. We share every part of each other with our partners. This shows how much we give them trust and love.”

 

He spared a glance at her before changing his stare towards what’s in front of them, which was a cliff, “But no matter how much we spend our time with one another, if we can’t give our hearts to our partners, then nothing changes between us. Even if we were to be together for years, if our bond doesn’t step up, we’ll attain nothing but what we have now.”

 

Stopping just at the edge of the cliff, Kotori stared in awe at the view in front of them. The sky couldn’t get any bluer than it is now, and the clouds were thin and gliding across the sky smoothly and carefully. The sun’s rays weren’t that strong, but they were beautiful enough to look at, and the air was refreshing to breathe in.

 

In a sense, it blew her away.

 

For once, she was glad that her companion was the man beside her. He had just taught her about something that could help her in becoming stronger. It was for the sake of saving her family, after all. And she needs every bit of help she can get.

 

So without much of a warning, Lucas pulled Kotori along for the ride of her life.

 

By falling down a cliff.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Huffing breaths in and out of her lungs profusely, Kotori weakly held her knees for support as she made quick rounds of breathing exercises to regulate her system. Who knows how long she had stayed at a crouching position by now, because she felt like it was already a few minutes.

 

Remind her to never ever be at least 3 feet away from the Magician. She can’t take another heart attack, she thought to herself.

 

In contrast to Kotori’s condition, Lucas seemed to be handling the fall very well. In fact, he doesn’t look as fazed as she was when they took the risk.

 

Well, when he out-of-nowhere grabbed her hands and brought her down with him.

 

It wasn’t the most ingenious of plans but it did have its perks and advantages, he defended. Of course, besides the efficiency and accuracy of their landing, it did give them a minimal amount of time to travel towards where they had hunched Aleister’s and their friends’ whereabouts.

 

Plus, it was a... rather interesting way of taking shortcuts.

 

Sparing a glance at the exhausted and clearly sensitive girl below him, he brought down his hat and folded it in his hands, somehow like an origami. It was as small as a watch now as he placed it in his pocket, letting his spiky hair dance with the wind’s command.

 

He then took out a handkerchief from his sleeve and gave it to Kotori, “Here. Breathe into this,” he solemnly told her.

 

The younger teen exhaled as she eyed the object being offered to her. Looking confused at it first, she accepted it and began to breathe with the cloth covering her nose and mouth.

 

Surprisingly, and in contrast to her belief, it was easier to inhale and exhale whilst breathing through the handkerchief. It was as if it had the same functions as an oxygen tank.

 

Of course, everything about this man was a surprise to the girl. It was an abnormality to her usual routine, but saying she’s getting used to the whole magical mysteries that the man owned would be a definite lie.

 

Though she is getting better at handling her reactions.

 

When her breathing started to regualte better, she handed the handkerchief back with a small smile, “Thanks...,” she meekly said to him.

 

Lucas wasn’t surprised by her sudden response, but he wasn’t expecting it either so he just shook his head in amusement, “No problem. Everything I’ve made might come in handy when the time comes, so I carry pretty much all of what I’ve built for the past few years,” he emphasized his pockets by patting them with his hands, the little trinkets making light audible sounds as it was shook.

 

Nodding to herself, Kotori was quite sure that Nozomi is somehow in equal wavelength with the Magician. Their little hobby of making weird inventions sure are rubbing her.

 

In a good way, of course.

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Walking for at least five minutes later, they’ve finally reached a clearing in the middle of the forest. It was quite a view back at the top of the cliff. But down here...

 

Kotori might want to change her preview of the place.

 

There was a huge crater in the middle of a clearing where they were currently facing right now. It was as if something huge had punched the whole ground that made it into a gaping hole at the center.

 

Just at the edge of said crater was a facility that looked like it needed to be renovated and repaired. It was made of steel—it used to look like steel. Now it’s all rusted and hardly shines like what metals would. There are traces of red carpet-like features on the ground that covered the front part of the land. Electrical fences were placed apart from each other and were in disarray.

 

If a disaster happened around here, it must’ve occurred a long time ago, Kotori thought.

 

The roof was busted and no longer protected the old building from the rain and other ungodly weathers. Vines were starting to hug the walls and clinging onto the railings above the emergency ladders.

 

Window panes were shattered, but they seemed to be covered in dust and dirt that their dark hue blocked any way of detecting its current status. The doors are pried open and had been staying that way for at least a few days now because of the difference in the amount of dust covering the way of the doorframe and the inside.

 

Meaning that this facility was used not too long ago.

 

“So he took them here...,” mumbled Lucas, but Kotori couldn’t help but to overhear him because of their close proximity to each other.

 

Humming in agreement, the girl glanced around the place for another quick look, “But... what is this place?”, she placed a finger in her chin in thought.

 

She did, however, see a look of nostalgia pass through Lucas’s face, but it disappeared as quickly as it came, and that did not come as a good sign.

 

“This place was a laboratory used for the experimentation of Spirit Animal vessels. This was the place where I met Nico a few years ago,” he told her.

 

If things weren’t as weird and heart stopping as they were, then this would’ve been the most surprising. After all, she didn’t know much about their meeting, nor their connection.

 

The look on Lucas’s face looked like he wanted nothing more to talk about this subject so she let it slide.

 

For now.

 

Because Kotori was willing to wait for answers. First they need to save their friends.

 

And that was the first step to stopping Aleister.


	35. Episode 34

Eli watched Rin and Honoka as they both tried to break the cell they were currently trapped in. Apparently, they woke up several minutes later finding Maki already awake and confused. They were stuck under a sewage system and most likely in some sort of a prison.

 

Of course, even though the place looks outdated and really old, it took more than two powerhouses for it to crumble.

 

Once again, both Rin and Honoka were blown off towards the other side of the room when the impacts collided with the metal bars, as if some sort of protection was bestowed upon the cell.

 

And if that were the case, none of them are magically inclined enough to undo the spell.

 

Much to Eli’s chagrin as she was, by far, the most proficient when it came to magic among them.

 

Her powers came from all the drugs and tests that she had taken from the Garden of Glass facility way back in her tender years. Of course, Nozomi was also forced to do the same activities done to the blonde, but time and experience was more abundant during those days so most likely Eli would have an advantage.

 

So to speak, whoever did this to them was more powerful than all of Eli’s experience in the art of magic. And, of course, it would come to the conclusion of being Aleister’s work.

 

Sighing, the blonde turned to look at Nozomi, who was slumped on the other side of the room, upper body leaning onto the wall while her legs were straightened on the floor. Her holsters were taken—all of their weapons were taken, except for Nico’s, which were... well...

 

None of them really knew why they didn’t take Nico’s gloves off since they’re giving her powers and all.

 

They all concluded that it might have something to do with the curse, so they left it at that.

 

The purple-haired girl was in a daze, staring off into the ceiling as if it was growing miracles up there. Eli frowned at that, she was rather used to her being optimistic and mischievous and all, now she wasn’t sure if she was really the Nozomi she knew and loved.

 

If she were to confess, then perhaps Nozomi’s taking everything too hard.

 

But she can’t be the one to reassure her. Not now. Not when she has nothing to provide for them at the moment. Not when she’s pretty much powerless.

 

And not when she’s in a depressed state.

 

She then heard Umi suddenly perk up from her previously seated position by the corner. She seemed to be picking something up from above. None of them were sensing whatever the bluenette was hearing, but it looked like it was a life-changing thing.

 

“I hear footsteps,” was the disbelieved tone that Umi ushered with, eyes widening somewhat when she had heard the footfalls from above.

 

The others picked up the new information quite optimistically with their eyes shining with hope.

 

And Eli prayed that it would stay that way until they were free.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kotori cringed at the mere sight of the towering walls of the abandoned building. As much as she had been creeped out by the outside imagery of the facility, the interior state was even more frightening. The thought of walking through this place at night sent chills that went down the girl’s spine as if it was a nightmare to be cautious of.

 

Which it actually is in her opinion.

 

Contrast to her reactions, Lucas seemed to be handling the creepiness quite comfortably and soberly. He was wary, yes, but not afraid at all. His steps were steady and consistent, unlike Kotori’s slow and cautious movements.

 

Whenever the floors creak, the grey-haired teen would jump in fright and immediately hug the closest object she could latch on to, which happens to be Lucas. The man did not mind, of course, but he does raise a brow every now and then.

 

The wind continues to blow and whistle its way through the anterior complex, bouncing off the rustic walls and dusting off the dirt from all around and scattering them further away inside the building.

 

But it does bother Kotori somewhat.

 

“Strange how the wind seems to be diverted to the other side of the room,” she wondered out loud, looking at the right side of the room where the wind seemed to be sweeping the dirt off.

 

Pursing his lips in thought, Lucas glanced at the left side, thinking deeplt into her words. True that the wind was diverted to the right, and it looked like there was an invisible wall on the left that kept the wind away.

 

Whatever it was, it is indeed strange.

 

“We should check it out,” the man signaled for her to follow him as he made his way into the left side of the room, where a door was closed, smaller than the usual size.

 

Nodding, Kotori silently tiptoed her way towards the direction at which Lucas was steadily making progress at reaching. If it was from an average person’s perspective, the passageway was just a normal hallway at the other end of the door. From theirs, however, it was like a never ending corridor that was created by none other than magic.

 

And they were positive it was Aleister who had created this.

 

Clearly it wasn’t just magic-imbedded, but it was also protected by some sort of barrier that kept others out, even the wind. And it was invisible to boot. So of course it was an advanced skill that could pose as a problem for them.

 

If the Magician wasn’t there.

 

Rubbing his chin, Lucas studied the unseen magical wall that was apparently in front of them, “Not the one I usually work with, but if Aleister was anything, of course this would be a difficult spell,” he said.

 

Kotori looked at him skeptically, wondering how he, the Magician, could actually praise Aleister’s work at a time like this, even though he was the one who had made magic in the first place.

 

‘More questions to ask him later,’ she thought, shrugging her shoulders when another question was added to her curiosity of the man.

 

Lucas touched the supposedly invisible wall with his palms, and if it was seen by civilians, they would definitely think he was some sort of a pantomime. To Kotori though, it was as if he was feeling the layer of the barrier with his hands all the way through to thinking of a way for them to break it down.

 

“It’s not magnetic, so an EM Field is definitely not around here. Cleverly, it is made out of highly-skilled transparent glass that couldn’t be easily seen by the naked eye. Dare I say, it might have been shipped directly from the Garden of Glass Facility,” Lucas’s tone wasn’t monotonous, but there wasn’t an ounce of emotion in it. Only his words stood out.

 

Kotori bit her bottom lip. She doesn’t know what the Garden of Glass Facility is, but if it’s anything like this place then she shouldn’t be too happy about the information. As for the transparent glass...

 

To say that it wasn’t magic after all was going to be an understatement of the fact. It was a glass that couldn’t be seen by the naked eye, and if she had learned anything at all then it was to not judge the book by its cover.

 

It could’ve been made with the association of magic, after all.

 

“So this... facility built a glass that most people couldn’t see?”, as unsure of herself as she was at the moment, Kotori took her time to slowly wince her eyes at the barrier. If she can even find something detectable then she’d be able to believe it, even though she already does.

 

Nodding and humming in reply, the man pulled off his glove on his right hand and touched the surface of the glass, feeling the cold pressing against his fingers, “If my suspicion stands, then there’s no doubt that they were behind the development of this discovery. I highly commend them, if it was not a bother in our objectives,” he then swiped his hand on the surface.

 

Kotori could hear the disturbing noise made from the contact that Lucas made with the glass, and she can actually see the fingerprints left behind on the invisible barrier, as if it was floating in midair, “Whoa...,” she breathed out in awe. This was a first for her so it was a surprise.

 

And, much to her confusion, it was kind of exciting to be witnessing this interesting discovery.

 

In short, it was magical.

 

She glanced up towards Lucas who had just bit his thumb and drew blood that stained the invisible wall, to her horror. He, somehow, sensed her fear and immediately explained to her, “This is a type of magic that needs my seal, which in this case is my blood, to be able to activate and release its effects,” he said.

 

A sigh of relief was breathed out when she Kotori heard him. It was not a normal occurrence to just see someone bite his finger and let out blood for the purpose of using magic. And this was another first that she had seen.

 

She definitely needs to right down her firsts. Or just mentally note them.

 

The smeared blood became compact and, in a split second, stretched itself into a magic circle, deep red color glowing and a crescent-shaped symbol was being created in the center.

 

Magically, the tiny puncture on Lucas’s thumb had disappeared and, another first discovery to Kotori, had become history. As if nothing ever happened to it.

 

In certain ways, magic was slowly luring Kotori’s curiosity. And this had not gone unnoticed by the Magician.

 

“Curious?”, his devilish smirk gave her ideas that he might be onto her, but it only made her gulp in nervousness.

 

Scratching her cheek timidly, the ashen-haired girl chuckled while looking away, “Ahaha... maybe... a little bit...,” she said in a low whisper, but not low enough to be inaudible.

 

She did, however, perked up when Lucas smiled softly before saying, “Well then, when I’m done with this, why don’t I teach you a thing or two on how to cast magical spells?”

 

Not really knowing what to say, Kotori remained silent. She was ecstatic to hear that he was willing to teach her magic, and now of all times. But on the other hand, they were here to save their friends.

 

She can’t risk losing them for her own gain.

 

“Maybe... next time—”

 

“If you’re worrying about your friends, we’ll be able to reach them before anything bad happens. I’ll guarantee you that,” he cut her off, making her flinch at his indifferent tone.

 

If one were to ask, she’d say that Lucas was a mind reader. No one has ever read her as easily as him just now.

 

Except Nozomi. Nothing gets past her.

 

So even though she was doubting her decision and drowning in despair ever so slowly, she hesitantly but firmly nodded, “I... I’m willing to learn,” she breathed out.

 

Heaving out a light laugh, Lucas nodded, focusing on the spell he’s doing, “Deactivate,” he said simply, but with command. He had his hand outstretched and hovering above the glowing red symbol.

 

It seared into the invisible wall, which wasn’t as transparent as it was earlier. Now it could be detected by almost anyone, and the little bits of metal sticking out of its invisibility cloak.

 

When the mark had pushed through the barrier, it had vanished as if there was nothing blocking them in the first place.

 

Now, Kotori was eager to learn magic.

 

“Alright, we’re good to go. It wasn’t as hard as I thought it was, but I think they made a pretty good effort at keeping us away,” Lucas told nobody, but it was free for Kotori to hear and judge. It was just a statement that came out of the blue.

 

Though the compliment was a bit surprising.

 

Even through the invisible wall, they could see the dim and narrow corridor past it. And now that the path was cleared, it was much more frightening than earlier. The magical wall had somehow blocked the entrance and even through its transparency, there was the slight spook that had been lingering at just a glance at the dark hallway.

 

And both Lucas and Kotori paid no mind to it at first. Now though, they’re not so sure about going through it so easily.

 

“Weird how one dark corridor can make you feel chills crawling all over your body,” Kotori rubbed her arms in hopes of calming her nerves down.

 

She saw Lucas inhale deeply from the corner of her eyes. It wasn’t the usual breathing exercise but the type that would happen if someone was anxious or uneasy, and she was witnessing Lucas do it.

 

At least now she can say that they’re equally human beings.

 

“I have to agree with you on that. These nerves won’t let me walk through there without as much as a few seconds,” he chuckled through his statement, but the girl could hear the barely audible crack in the middle.

 

Shaking her body, she slapped her cheeks hard, opting Lucas to turn his head towards her and once again raise his brow in question, “There’s no use whining over this. Our friends are across this... path, and as much as I don’t want to cross it, I have to if I want to see them again,” she said bravely, but with a hint of fear in her words.

 

And a man with a straightforward attitude like Lucas definitely gives his compliment at anyone who deserves it, “My, how charming you are right now. And although I agree with your fear, saving Nico and your friends are first and foremost. Therefore, let us give our fright a little bit more time before it consumes us and delays our rescue operation,” he utters while adjusting his gloves in a manner that would be similar to protagonists in an action movie.

 

Nodding, Kotori began to trudge down the narrow path, after Lucas. Because even though ladies are always first to walk, this one requires a more steady upfront. And Kotori wasn’t the type to lead.

 

Naturally, she’d follow.

 

But after a few good seconds of walking down the corridor, the door behind them had slammed itself shut by an unknown force. No, it was not the wind. Because Kotori didn’t feel any breeze that was strong enough to push the door hard pass by.

 

And it was strange and frightening at the same time.

 

“Well, who do we have here?”, a manically twisted voice decided to echo across the hallway, making both Lucas and Kotori freeze in place, creeped out by the sudden appearance of a tuxedoed gentleman whose face had an expression that was ready to kill.

 

“The Magician! And... a pretty little bird,” the mysterious man mocks with a wide grin, eyes popping out like pool balls, “How delightful. And to think you passed through Aleister’s barrier that easily! Oh my, what a haul I’ve caught.”

 

“You haven’t caught us just yet,” Lucas, of all times, decided that now would be a good time to retort. And Kotori, very much flinching when she heard him speak, turned her head to look at him with widened eyes.

 

The man’s mouth turned into a frown at the Magician’s choice of answer, “Oh? Not yet?”, he muttered monotonously, and although it was a whisper, the other two heard it, and it was sending them on a panic mood, “Oh... So you’re still waiting for me to catch you...”

 

“Ah... I see...,” if only he wasn’t so twisted-looking, Lucas would’ve immediately replied back with another snarky comment, but the man’s eyes told him not to.

 

They were like an assassin’s. And you cannot mess with people having those eyes.

One wrong move and off goes your head.

 

“I’ll show you... I’ll catch you right here and now... I’ll cut your limbs... then cut your head off... and offer you to Aleister myself... Oh, how lovely~ The boss would surely praise me...”

 

Another creepy grin began to form on the man’s face, and Lucas and Kotori could swear that he wasn’t kidding.

 

“Now then... Stay still until I kill you.”


	36. Episode 35

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Here’s another chapter and it’s good to be back on track with the schedule! It’s almost time for our Graduation and we’re fairly busy, but not too busy. Just not around my phone much. So this chapter is pretty much worth it to be posted today!
> 
> I’m excited for Summer Vacation and I can’t wait to focus on this! See you guys next week!

Consciousness suddenly started to form itself.

 

Stirring, eyelids fluttered open to reveal dark green eyes. And wincing at every inch of pain that the body was aching with, a grunt came out as a replacement of words.

 

Heavy panting soon followed but was slowed down for a bit when a soothing relaxant was being showered from the right.

 

Hanayo, having been awake for awhile now, had decided to treat the person that was on the verge of death when they had been tossed in here. She didn’t know the person, but the other four seemed to be able to recognize her.

 

Tsubasa Kira.

 

Apparently, she was the person that Aleister was talking about, the one he had tortured into giving up something that could potentially be the end of the world.

 

In the form of a bracelet, which they have yet to discover how that little trinket could possibly be the end of the world.

 

But if Aleister dared to torture Tsubasa just for that, then it must be something they should be wary of.

 

Honoka, who was the first out of the others to , for some reason, hear the fluttering of the injured girl’s eyelids, scrambled away from her current post at the metal bars and immediately dashed to be by Tsubasa’s side, one hand held.

 

“She’s not conscious enough to be able to realize a lot of things,” Hanayo whispered, careful as to not disrupt Tsubasa’s delicate situation.

 

Though Honoka was too worried to be able to listen.

 

“Tsubasa-chan...,” she whimpered, tears threatening to fall from her eyes as she quickly wiped them with her other hand.

 

Hearing the name of someone they know, Umi’s head perked up in surprise and also made an awful attempt at scrambling towards the corner of the cell, “Tsubasa? Is she okay?”, she asked, the look in her eyes saying how worried she was for the other girl.

 

Both Maki and Eli had stationed themselves behind the three, sharing glances at each other as they saw how fragile their friend’s state was.

 

If only they had been there to defend her at that time.

 

At the same time that they had gathered over at the laying brunette’s side, the floor above them started to shake, debris and dust falling off from the cemented ground.

 

With hitched breaths, both the redhead and the blonde glanced at each other, as if reading each other’s minds, “Someone’s here.”

 

“Definitely,” Maki agreed with Eli, her suspicions vaguely informed but her hope doesn’t waver at all. If anyone was up there, then it can only mean one thing.

 

Someone was going down there, where they were currently isolated from the upper world.

 

It would be dangerous for them to be discovered, or if it was Aleister then all the more reason for them to be fearing an arrival at this hour.

 

Especially when they found out Tsubasa’s current condition.

 

Eli’s prayer was for their safety, so if anyone was out there, she hoped that it was someone that would, for a change of heart, save them from this place. From this circumstance.

 

Glancing at the other side of the room, she looked at Nozomi, who was still maintaining her stare at the ceiling, unfazed at the sudden shaking that it was doing. And even if she was surprised and worried, it didn’t show in her expression.

 

Not at all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Keh... You’re good~”

 

“Not too shabby yourself, I must admit.”

 

Grunting on her own scratches, Kotori winced when a particularly bad wound from a hit earlier had rooted her on the same spot for awhile now. It had been on the back of her knee, which was a bit of a rough situation on her end because she can’t seem to stand up on both legs.

 

Their current opponent was slightly unharmed, some rips on his clothes were visible, and small cuts were present on his face while his hair was disheveled in places. Apart from that, the only thing keeping him from attacking was exhaustion and... well...

 

Apparently, he doesn’t move much frequently, unlike others who attack when the opportunity strikes.

 

Lucas, however, seemed to look fine overall. He had taken no hits during the fight and even though his face had the look of someone in trouble, his body language showed confidence and strength.

 

If anything, he doesn’t even let out a ragged breath from all that.

 

Kotori would be amazed at him, if she never knew who he was and what he’s capable of. For someone like the Magician to project such a one sided yet perfectly elegant battle style was a strong vote for the grey-haired girl.

 

Now she knew where Nico’s confidence came from.

 

“Tch tch... You’ve become an insult to society, my dear Magician. How they favor your death is beyond me!”, the mysterious man cackled abnormally while hiding in the shadows of the narrow corridor.

 

Despite fighting him for a few minutes now, Kotori can’t seem to get ahold of his eye and hair color. She saw his expression, yes, but his color...

 

Let’s just say they weren’t as present as most features.

 

Blending in with the dark corners was his specialty, she observed. And he used it to his advantage in taking hits from them. Mostly Kotori because Lucas seemed to be sensing most of his attack patterns.

 

Most of it.

 

One attack earlier was one of the most significant, in the words of Lucas himself. It was when the man had landed right at the end of the pathway while the other two were on the other end. The government official looked stoned and had no intention of making any movement.

 

Until a fast shadow suddenly passed them. Luckily it had missed them by mere centimeters, but the room wasn’t forsaken.

 

Even though it was just a tiny piece of shadow that whooshed passed them, the impact was strangely more powerful in contrast to its size. The entire corner was broken and had a gaping hole in it, enough that Kotori could probably fit in it if she squeezed herself hard enough.

 

And it was then that the two knew never to mess with a silent enemy. No matter how disturbing his expression and laugh is.

 

“Let’s just say that they won’t allow me being alive for as long as they can remember my sins,” as playful as his tone was, Lucas still hardened his expression when he uttered those words.

 

“Ah, you mean your miracle~? Oh, I don’t really care about what other people think, but I do think that what you did was the best thing that ever happened to this boring world!”, yelled the mysterious man from the shadows, body now moving slightly and popping some tense bones.

 

Kotori frowned, “Miracle?”, she muttered.

 

No doubt that Lucas could hear her, but the man opposing them couldn’t. And it was an advantage somehow, “Well, I am flattered. But not enough to get me to stop attacking.”

 

Lucas leaped from his spot and approached the man with just an inch of distance between them, a backhand position ready to strike.

 

The man, as much as he was paralyzed, disappeared and reappeared behind Lucas who had swung his hand in the air, hitting nothing.

 

Smirking from the Magician’s failure, the shadows, as he seemed to manipulate, began to encircle the younger adult and proceeded to make a dome big enough to trap Lucas in it.

 

Making a slashing movement with his hand, an air slash was projected and sliced through the dark matter, making the circle incomplete and leaving a hole that left Lucas out in the open.

 

Clicking his tongue, the government official raised his hand and had it swoop down to the ground, the movement causing the shadows to gather up on the ceiling and then rain down towards Lucas.

 

Dodging efficiently, the Magician decided to open up his palm in front of him, a small laser-like beam shooting out from it and heading straight for the man.

 

It was fast, too fast for the opponent to defend himself from it. As a result, he had taken a hit from his shoulder, the dark shadow covering up his body slowly dispersing from the area where the laser beam hit.

 

Grunting, the man cradled his shoulder, which had regained its natural color from the hit. From Kotori’s point of view, it appeared as though the shadows acted as protection and had coated the man’s body in the process. And when Lucas hit him with his laser beam, the protection wavered off and dispersed.

 

Leaving him stripped of his protection.

 

“Ah, I see,” Lucas muttered when he, for some reason, managed to read Kotori’s thoughts and put it into account, leaving the ashen-haired girl gaping at him with wide eyes.

 

“Please stop reading my mind,” she deadpanned in the most unsettling manner, but it didn’t faze the young adult.

 

Lucas didn’t reply directly, but continued to lock eyes with the shadow-covered man, “Now that we know your secret, let’s make it more interesting,” he stated.

 

Glaring out his bulged eyes, the crouching man stood up, a shaky smirk plastered on his face by force and false mockery, “H-Hah! You can’t expect to defeat me even if you do know my secret!”, he boasted with such forced pride that it would put Nico’s facade to shame.

 

Shrugging his shoulders effortlessly, Lucas grinned, “Oh, trust me. It won’t even take five minutes.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Ugh...”

 

Feeling every pain on her body, Tsubasa struggled to even move, even opening her eyelids were proving to be a challenge. She could feel warmth holding her hands on both sides, but she couldn’t muster a response, not even just tightening her fist.

 

But she could still hear voices. And she could recognize some of them, to an extent.

 

And she can speak as well.

 

“H... Hono... ka...,” the brunette rasped helplessly as she writhed in pain just from uttering each syllable carefully.

 

Perking up at the mention of her name, Honoka immediately gripped her hand tightly over Tsubasa’s, assuring her somehow that she heard her voice, “Tsubasa-chan...! I-I’m here, don’t worry. I won’t leave you, okay?”, she managed to smile even though her tears betrayed her forced reassurance.

 

But it somehow calmed Tsubasa, if even a bit, “I... I know...,” she whispered now that she knew the limit of her verbal abilities. And it would be bad to push herself any further, else Honoka would go rampant.

 

That’s how much she knew the ginger, well enough to even process her thoughts in the future.

 

And although her attention was fully on Honoka, she couldn’t help but acknowledge her other acquaintances from their job, “Umi... Maki... Eli...,” she heaved heavy breathes from each interval of speaking, but it didn’t stop her from smiling.

 

Their reactions were priceless, and she would’ve giggled should she be in a more comfortable situation.

 

“Tsubasa... I...,” Umi was the first to speak, head hung low and tight lipped, a guilty expression plastered on her face.

 

For reasons unknown to the others, both Maki and Eli sported the same guilty front and the same anxious body language, much like the bluenette. It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out that they had something to say.

 

But Tsubasa wanted nothing out of them.

 

“I... It’s okay... I—,” just before she could finish, Tsubasa struggled when she got into a coughing fit, every part of her body aching when her lungs couldn’t stop the itching pain on her throat.

 

Hanayo responded to this as she already held out her hands and tried to heal her body some more. It took awhile for her to nurse Tsubasa because she wasn’t sure about the extent of her injuries, nor the duration of how long she had suffered from it.

 

If she can only find out how long she had been here exactly.

 

“I... understand...,” Hanayo’s brows furrowed when Tsubasa finished her sentence, even at the state she was in at the moment.

 

She wasn’t the type of person to be angry about something, or anything in particular, but the lax expression that Tsubasa had adorned...

 

It didn’t feel forced, nor was it just a brave front. It was genuine, and truth was evident. And no matter how much Hanayo wanted to scold her because of this...

 

She couldn’t help but just smile as well.

 

Of course, while most of them were busy worrying about Tsubasa, Rin noticed how despondent Nico and Nozomi were. She, as a curious human being, knows how powerful Aleister was and that they were knocked out even when they clearly outmatch him in number, but she didn’t really know how the story went through Nico’s eyes.

 

She was with Maki, but with how much attention they were putting on Tsubasa, the orange-haired girl wasn’t sure if she can even care to tell the tale.

 

Rin, as a straightforward and upfront person, would opt to just get straight to the point and ask them about their problems, or at least why they are so quiet that they couldn’t even talk to them or huddle up over the injured girl, which was exactly the kind of thing that they would do if they weren’t so... well, depressed.

 

The golden-eyed girl wanted to ask them about it, but chose to stay put when she saw their expressions—at least, what was left of their expressions.

 

Nozomi was still staring at the ceiling, a far away look in her eyes as her face was slack and emotionless. Something that Rin hadn’t been able to see on the purple-haired girl since they met.

 

And it scared her, a lot.

 

Nico’s expression, on the other hand, was neutral. Not sad, nor angry, and definitely not happy. But she was hugging her legs on the little corner of the cell, her tamed face not even changing even for a split second.

 

Somehow, the way she stares at nothing makes a chill crawl through Rin’s spine. The normally overactive girl was still and unresponsive, even smaller than she already was, as if waiting for the ground to eat her wholly.

 

This doesn’t suit well too, Rin cringed.

 

These two were the ones, if not the only ones, who always start the conversation that particularly strikes their plan, and they were good at keeping the mood at bay. Changing the atmosphere was a skill not many can handle well, but these two were a natural.

 

Now, though...

 

They can hardly move, not even a side glance from their eyes. None of those.

 

And, for some reason, this worried Rin more than she was aware of Tsubasa.

 

“Rin-chan?”, the orange-haired girl snapped out of her, unusual, stupor and glanced at Hanayo, who sported a worried look on her way, “Is everything okay?”, the brunette softly asked her.

 

Blinking a few times, Rin shook her head and sheepishly scratched the back of her head, nodding, “U-Uhm, yeah. I’m good, just... you know, thinking...,” she hadn’t even noticed her change of speech patterns, but her childhood friend did.

 

And it did not settle well on her stomach.

 

“Something on your mind?”, Hanayo pressed further. It would be awful if Rin kept problems to herself, and because she was her best friend, it was her duty to listen and be there for her. That much is how far she’ll go for her best friend.

 

And loved one.

 

“It’s nothing, nya! I just forgot something back at the cottage,” her easygoing voice was laced with so much force that it overtook the whole idea of lying.

 

Luckily, no one was listening on their conversation, but Hanayo wasn’t oblivious. In some cases, she may be, but not now. Not when Rin is involved. Never.

 

That was how much she knew the girl.

 

And right now, she couldn’t trace the root of her worries, “If you’re sure...,” she replied curiously, not bothering to push any further, but keeping in mind their conversation just now.

 

Rin is worried about something, and she wasn’t so sure what it is exactly she was worried about.

 

Suddenly, the earth started to shake, having them stumble and lose balance when the immediate earthquake started to grow in intensity.

 

“W-What’s ha-happening?!”, Umi uttered, but found it hard to speak straight when the ground she was standing on continued to shake violently.

 

Also finding the same difficulties, Eli hurriedly held the cell bars as support in her position, “An earthquake?! How—?!”

 

Hanayo was worried that everyone, especially Tsubasa, would get hurt by the unforeseen disaster, so she conjured up a shield barrier that trapped them, helping withstand their ground from the violent shaking of the world while also protecting them from the fallen debris.

 

But before the barrier could finally cover them fully, Nico and Nozomi stiffened. No one noticed them do so, and at the moment, they were supposed to be aware of their surroundings. Apparently their expressions weren’t that much attentional.

 

Though it did make a difference.

 

Somehow, throughout the whole ordeal, they stayed calm and neutral, but now they managed a side glance to the other, a creepy smirk plastered on their faces as they muttered the same set of words, one that they were aware of for most of the time.

 

“Took them long enough.”


	37. Episode 36

"Uhm... are you sure that wasn't... too much?", Kotori fiddled with her fingers as she side glanced at Lucas, who had his hands cozily nested on the back of his head, whistling without a care in the world.

 

Said man shrugged, "This place is barely standing, I doubt that anyone would be bothered if we rouse a bit of trouble inside the premises," he calmly stated, much to Kotori's chagrin.

 

They had managed to beat the mysterious man, which happened to be a gentleman in his mid 40s, apparently being controlled by the shadows and pretty much naked, to Kotori's dismay and embarrassment. He had been immobilized when every shadow wrapped around his body had dispersed and left, leaving him lying on the ground, forever unconscious because of whatever traumatic experience Lucas had taught him.

 

And Kotori had enough discoveries for today to even ask what it is that he did.

 

Though it wouldn't hurt to know.

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

_Earlier..._

_"Kotori, I need you to...," Lucas proceeded to whisper whatever plan he had on his mind. After his apparent discovery, he already thought of the perfect solution to beat their opponent for today._

_And Kotori seemed too baffled to even jump in right away, "Huh?! W-Well... I—uh... I'm not so sure... I haven't really tried it but I... may be able to pull it off somehow?", as unsure she was of doing whatever it was Lucas wanted her to do, she couldn't help but think of the consequences if she didn't do it._

_And it overpowered her negativity._

_Nodding, Lucas smirked, "Well, it's not a no so let's have you do that," he patted her on the back, unintentionally strongly, as he had refocused back to their enemy._

_Completely ignoring the frightened look  that Kotori was harboring._

_"So, is your little chitchat over now?", the smirking villain seemed very entertained, even though he was shivering from his lower body. But he doesn't look like someone who'd be giving up any sooner so Lucas would tale that as a sign of competence._

_"I'm pretty sure that our petty little converse would serve as the highlight of your day," the man was as generous as they say, but his light sarcasm couldn't be any more visible, more so to the Government._

_And this shadowed person was no exception._

_"Keh! Let's find out, shall we?!", the government server dashed forward, just about three feet away from Lucas as he made a slashing motion with his arm, followed suit by a wave of dark matter from his side._

_Lucas intercepted with a barrier he put up before it could hit, but he was still hit with a recoil as he bounced back with a light step._

_The man was ready with another attack, but this time, the Magician quickly went behind him and did a back hook with his right arm, sending the shadowed man forward and tumbling on the ground._

_Groaning, some of the scattered shadows in his upper back had dispersed, now his upper left back was fully exposed and relieved from the black protection._

_The man's eyes widened when he realized it, "What?! How—You only hit me with your arm—?!"_

_"Oh? Was that how you saw it?"_

_Flinching, the enemy carefully glanced at Lucas's arm, the one that had landed the hit on him, and it wasn't bare, not literally. There was a barely visible light that radiated off from it, and it won't be noticeable until you squint your eyes at it or place your full attention in it._

_And that was exactly what they were hoping for the man to make, his one big mistake._

_"I'm sure that by now, you'll stop being such a nag about things and accept that you can't, and never will, beat me. Not in a fight like this," Lucas smiled, not the kind of pitying or smug-like grin, but the one you make when you think it's already settled._

_But their opponent didn't get it, "What are you talking about? I've had the upper hand earlier! I can beat you, just not now when you've had your momentum! I have what it takes to kill you—!"_

_The man had an accusing finger pointed at Lucas, but he had abruptly stopped on his words, now just staring with wide eyes at the Magician as if he was a deer caught in headlights._

_Chuckling to himself, Lucas shook his head playfully, "Now you finally noticed?"_

_Quivering, the man turned around slowly, noting of the immense light that was growing in intensity behind him._

_"I wasn't really alone, you know?"_

_"A.. Ah—ah... ah!", body shaking violently, the man was too numb to even move an inch from his spot, with the light glowing even brighter by the second._

_"And for the record, you weren't that tough to begin with. You were, though, until I found your weakness."_

_Kotori was struggling with a bright light orb on her hands, handling it together with her dragon partner as they both held the attack with their tight grips, ready to unleash the extremely uncontrollable amount of energy in their grasp._

_"Say hi to whoever you encounter in the afterlife for me."_

_And without any warning, the energy was released and it hurled straight towards the man, who couldn't help but scream out loud before the impact had began._

_When it did, though, the whole building shook, as if an earthquake and a storm suddenly went at each other's throats and clashed with one another inside._

_But it pretty much withstood the whole ordeal so they didn't probe any further with the subject._

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

"But maybe Aleister would come back here. What if—"

 

"If he does come, we'll be ready," Lucas cut her off before she could mumble even further.

 

His piercing gaze managed to stop Kotori from her stupor, the determination in his eyes full of truth and ideals. She was convinced even with just a look in his eyes, but his body language told her pretty much just about everything.

 

That was good enough for her to believe in.

 

But one thing was bothering her.

 

"How come our earlier attacks didn't even manage to damage him?", the ashen-haired girl thought out loud, but intentionally wanted for him to hear.

 

Smiling, Lucas answered, "Truth is, I only figured it out when I saw him get hit by my laser beam," he simulated his earlier attack that landed them a first hit on their enemy, trying to copy his exact movement, "And it kind of just got along the way. Apparently, our first attacks were physical strikes, which I can carefully assume was the reason why his shadow armor cannot be pierced by our hits.

 

Unlike my beam, our fists weren't as powerful and it definitely did not do justice on damaging him. So I assumed that he was immune to physical combat.

 

When he got away from me, I tried to hit him within a range between us. And during that time, it all clicked when my attack finally landed and dispersed his shadow defense."

 

Tight lipped, Kotori nodded along the way, barely grasping the moment that Lucas was explaining. It wasn't that she didn't understand. But after all of this...

 

How come she could be on par with Aleister earlier when now, she couldn't even land a decent hit on one of his pawns?

 

"Don't try to sell yourself short," Lucas's voice awakened her in her depression, eyes leering at her but in a soft manner, "That wasn't the right moment for your awakening. It'll be much more grandeur, and I'm sure it would help you and your friends."

 

Just hearing him actually praise her was something. She felt a sense of gratitude but at the same time, her confidence rose. She probably won't get used to getting compliments from the Magician himself, but she cherished this one.

 

Definitely a keeper in her mind.

 

"So then, unlike you who actually house animal senses, I am not keen in finding your imprisoned friends. So I'll have you lead the rest of the way," he pointed at the road in front of them, another corridor that was the end of the first hallway they entered. Pretty much the same as the first, but more stealthier and paved.

 

At first, Kotori was taken aback. Then recurring his words, she finally took the step and walked in front, getting a smile from Lucas behind her.

 

Surely, this would be an achievement for her, and for him as well. One less person to free from the despair which he befell on the world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Okay, just a little more further..."

 

"Somehow, I believe this place could collapse at any given opportunity."

 

"Well, it is old..."

 

"Can you hear anything though?"

 

"Nothing... though I can seem to pick up some water currents beneath us. Is that a sign?"

 

"Not that I know of. I've never been to this place since the day I freed Nico. And even then, I wasn't able to give myself a proper tour of the place."

 

"Maybe they're in the sewers? I can't exactly pick up their scents, but there is a slight difference in odor around the area."

 

"Most likely your friends. I don't know about you but I'm obliged to accept their imprisonment in the sewerage system."

 

"I think so too. Let's keep going."

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even though the place looked rigid, somehow their travels took longer to even head downstairs. A few floors and they were still some left to climb down before they can reach the bottom, presumably the sewers.

 

Kotori was leading, Lucas walked beside her. They weren't close enough to be chatting away, but they somehow made a short pact of agreement to be vigilant of their surroundings while being aware of each other's movements.

 

Normally, Kotori would be uncomfortable if that was the case, but having him by her side was reassuring, more so than expected. And the boost he gave her made a big impact on her self esteem.

 

It was making a difference, a huge one, in her life. And she wondered how far it will take her in this battle.

 

"The smell is getting more stronger around here," she uttered when they reached another narrow pathway, apparently a rather rigid one that's full of cracks and very unstable to walk in.

 

But they didn't stop, "Even I can sniff as much. But nonetheless, can you hear anything unusual?", Lucas asked, glancing at every crack that they would pass by as if his glare would help to have it stay still and not wreck underneath their noses.

 

Grumbling with a shake of her head, Kotori answered, "No... just more water. And dripping, possibly from the pipes. Though I can mildly hear metals clanging...," she says out loud, placing a finger on her chin to think about it.

 

Lucas nodded at her words, sighing when they headed straight for another narrower lane, one where they can only fit if they walked sideways. And even the ceiling was dropped a little.

 

He can't possibly fit in there with his current height. He'd have to cut his feet to even pass through.

 

And that won't be a good thing.

 

"I'm not sure I can fit my whole body into that," he pointed out with narrowed eyes, a deadpan voice eminent in his tone but Kotori just shrugged.

 

"I think you can. Just... drop your head a bit...," she suggested while going ahead, not struggling to be walking sideways in the narrow corridor.

 

'I think I may have made a mistake when I lifted her spirits up earlier...,' Lucas internally slapped himself, not thinking about the consequences of his actions and now he was deeply regretting it.

 

So without another word, he just dropped his head down until it was on the same line as his shoulder blades, cursing on the inside as he struggled to fit his body on the way.

 

Good thing Kotori was up front, else she may or may not have laughed at Lucas for his... efforts.

 

Luckily, the narrow lane wasn't long. It didn't take much for them to walk across, much to Lucas's relief. And somehow, even though that was the end of the road, there was still one more to cross.

 

A flight of stairs.

 

Not like the usual, these ones were grimy and rusty. Dust covered the entire steps and it portrayed a somehow scary path. Just below was a dark path hole, and it didn't look like it was passable.

 

At least, not to the two of them.

 

Chills started to crawl through Kotori's back, gulping down in nervousness, "U-Uhm... I think you should lead the w-way this time...," she tried to coolly deliver her lines well, but was betrayed when her voice cracked.

 

Lucas, noticing her anxiety, sucked up his nerves and nodded, "O-Of course. No harm done. Just follow m-me...," he gulped, a stream of sweat trickling down his face quietly, unnoticed by Kotori, who was relieved but not calm.

 

The steps downwards were quite tricky, some were slippery and the others were very unstable so when they stepped on an unbalanced platform, both of them yelped. In a very unprofessional way.

 

Their wails echoed as they ran downstairs whilst holding onto dear life and praying that the steps would end fast. Problem is, they were a bit...

 

Slippery.

 

So when Kotori had stepped onto a grimy tile, a domino effect came into place, causing them to stumble their way downwards instead, which was really the quickest way to go at the moment.

 

But not really the safest, they concluded.

 

Groaning, Lucas shook his head to ease the ringing on his ears from the fall, with Kotori rubbing a sore spot from her forehead. That wasn't a nice landing, and they didn't really land on top of each other, but the were rocks.

 

And fortunately, they weren't sharp. Just the typical round ones. Very weird to find in a place like this, Lucas observed.

 

"Hey..."

 

Whisking away the dirt from her clothes, Kotori glanced at the man, "Yes?", she asked, quite taken aback by him.

 

"Do you perhaps know about one of your friend's habits and if they ever... well, collect stones and such?", his question was a bit too confusing to swallow and answer so it wasn't replied right away.

 

But it did make Kotori raise her eyebrow.

 

"Collect stones? Well...," to say that she was surprised was an understatement. It was very much out of the blue, and she was not prepared. But she does know an answer, "I think Nozomi keeps pebbles and rocks in her pocket. She... well, doesn't really explain why she has them, saying that they'll one day be of use to society...," she placed a finger on her chin, contemplating on whether she had said the right words according the purple-haired girl.

 

Raising an eyebrow at her, the Magician turned his head sideways, "Nozomi?", the name rolling off his tongue wasn't foreign and he was certain that he had met this person somewhere, but he can't really put his finger on when and where exactly. It was familiar, but not the kind of familiarity that he has with Nico, just a short one.

 

But unless he can remember who she is or what she looks like, maybe he can have a small clue.

 

Though the pebbles in her pocket may seem as a similarity with a little girl he helped out a few years ago. And he can't help but consider that this Nozomi may be her.

 

"Yeah, she was the one who took me in when I had nowhere else to go. She...," hesitant on what to describe the purple-haired girl, Kotori smiled weirdly, "Well... she's not really like any average person... I guess...," she almost shrugged, as if to say that she has already explained the general personality of Nozomi.

 

Pressing his lips thinly, Lucas shook his head, "Uhm... By any chance, does this Nozomi person have purple hair and green eyes?", he asked with a straight face.

 

With both brows raised, Kotori nodded, "Err, yes. How did you know?"

 

Sucking a huge chunk of air, the man heaved it all out and massaged the back of his neck, "Let's just say the personality is rather more similar than naught and... I may owe her a bit of a favor or two... and vice versa...," he chuckled when he confirmed his suspicions, and remembering the little girl he helped a long time ago as they escaped through the Garden of Glass Facility securities, it brought back nostalgic emotions.

 

He was over the moon to discover that someone he reached out to had been blessed enough to live to this very moment, and had also reached out to Kotori. And it was satisfying to feel.

 

"Wait, you and Nozomi know each other?!", hearing the unexpected news had Kotori cross her arms in deep concentration, "Well, knowing Nozomi, she would probably surprise you by calling your name out of the blue even though you've never met before," she grumbled.

 

"I'm right with you on that," chuckled Lucas himself as they both just laughed off at how mysteriously cunning Nozomi's character is.

 

Slowly gaining their momentum, they walked towards a dead end, which was very weird since the sounds of dripping water was coming from the other side.

 

"What do you think?", Lucas asked Kotori as they both stared at the wall in front of them from top to bottom, somehow admiring it even though it was a dead end on their part.

 

Smirking, the golden-eyed girl licked her dry lips, a very determined expression plastered on her face, "I think it could use a little more impact," she said jokingly, which elicited a small chuckle from the man.

 

"Oh, I get what you mean. Shall we kick it up a notch?", he challengingly dared as they both side glanced at each other.

 

"Sure. Ready whenever you are," she said.

 

"Okay. On the count of three. One... Two... Three!"

 

They both kicked the whole wall at the same time, causing a very powerful force to fully push away the entire blockage that was in the way. Not only did the flying debris rattled the whole place, it was already falling apart and causing quite a number on the ceilings and floor.

 

And they were pretty much certain that the others, wherever they are, have already heard their epic scene. It was just a matter of time before their reunion.

 

And Kotori, Lucas, Nico, and Nozomi were looking forward to seeing each other again and fleeing this hell of a place.


	38. Episode 37

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry about the chapters, they may seem rushed a bit, and I’m trying my best even though I have zero motivation for it! But I’ll be sure to make an ending, even if I have to cheat on it! Hahahaha!
> 
> Thanks for the support! Pray for this! Hahahah, thanks so much!

"Maybe that was a bit too much," Lucas bit his bottom lip and rubbed his nape at how much damage they have done to the place when they kicked the whole wall down. It was just one hindrance in their way and the whole place managed to sustain at least half of its brunt. 

 

Talk about a domino effect.

 

"Well... we tried," Kotori didn't have the objective of agreeing with him, but she does feel a bit guilty. But there was nothing they can do to change that. So she decided to just leave it at that.

 

After all, the shaking of the building might've been a signal for the others.

 

Or not.

 

"Do you think we should hurry up?", Kotori tried to change the subject, though it doesn't really seem like another topic altogether, but it was worth a shot.

 

Besides, Lucas had the same idea, "That may be appropriate at the moment," he replied, taking note of the slight forcefulness in his tone.

 

Even though they said those without any stutters, they did have doubts. And one of them was...

 

"Do you think Aleister and the rest of his men would come here because of that?"

 

Well, to say that Lucas had expected that would be an understatement. If fact, he was actually dreading for it to happen. He is equally in doubt, but patience is a virtue, although it may pose as a threat to them.

 

"I think... we should just focus on saving your friends for now," he concluded, making Kotori sigh in relief, as though she was waiting for him to come out clean and tell her that they would probably storm in here and will most likely kill them.

 

That was not something that could raise morals right now.

 

Kotori hummed, satisfied with the answers, but she was still in deep thought after all of that. They were getting pretty close to wherever the others were currently held in, but the stench just wasn't appealing to her. There was another factor that was too strong for her to miss, and it was not something that she can tolerate.

 

The smell of blood, sickeningly dried but fresh at the same time, which means that whoever was bleeding must've been stuck with it for the whole duration of their imprisonment.

 

And that had struck a nerve, an invisible one, on the ashen-haired girl.

 

Lucas seemed to pick up her emotional turmoil as he immediately asked away, "Is something the matter?"

 

Biting her lip sideways, she stated, "I smell blood."

 

The short sentence was enough to cut the light mood inside and replacing it with dreadful silence. Kotori knows that he would be, at some degree, bothered by this. And she was right. But his unreadable face was enough for her to not probe any further.

 

But the quiet atmosphere didn't last long.

 

"How much longer until we get there?", she should be surprised with how familiar he was speaking to her right now, but she was so baffled by his question that her focus didn't sway to anything other than his words.

 

Picking up the pace, she tried to concentrate on their auras and with the guide of her heightened senses, she would be accurately pointing out just how much further they are, "Just a little more. They're exactly behind two walls, and we can easily pass through if we put enough force, but there's another way that would let us travel without having to wreck any surface—"

 

"Let's just go straight. We have no time to waste."

 

As much as Kotori would like to protest to his sudden resilience in preferring the quickest route, she would rather they travel quietly and not... well...

 

Not like this, breaking through walls and stuff.

 

"Uhm, I think it would be more efficient if we—"

 

"No time," Kotori let out a yelp when he, out of the blue, grabbed her wrist and pulled her along with him as he prepared his fist in the air for impact.

 

Eyes widening, the girl didn't have any time to register what just happened, but all she can think of right now was how amazing it was for him to just pass through two consecutive thick walls without breaking a sweat while dragging her along with him.

 

But it was worth all the anxiety she kept up when she saw familiar green eyes that immediately made her feel at home.

 

Nozomi had this amazing effect on her, the motherly aura she always seemed to convey was genuine and pure. It's no wonder she got along with her so quickly.

 

It was no wonder she was the first person she called her family, even though they weren't related. That's just how strong their bond was, and it made her feel light.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The earthquakes persisted consecutively and without rest, which made most of the girls quite anxious at this sudden phenomena. They've never heard about waves of ground shaking before and this was a first for them, so it was a normal instinct to panic.

 

Two of them, however, chose to keep a straight face since they both seemed to know the cause of this. And they have for awhile now.

 

They also feel the pressures that were threatening to come closer so they know that they're close. So they waited patiently, not wanting to say to the others since they're more occupied with a more serious problem.

 

But since both of them weren't really that close to Tsubasa...

 

It doesn't mean that they don't care. They just don't want to add up to the pressure that the girl is in, so they stood out of the way. And instead, kept a calm facade.

 

So when the wall beside them suddenly blew up with two silhouettes emerging from the wreckage, the others were scared out of their wits and jumped away, with Nozomi and Nico just standing up from their seated places and patted their clothes from the dust.

 

They were expecting, so of course they'd greet them first.

 

"Yo!", Nico was first to speak, raising a hand at them with her usual smug smile. Lucas and Kotori weren't really in the same wavelength, but they did think about whether Nico was actually concerned about her current situation. At all.

 

Giggling at her antics was Nozomi, who then waved at them calmly, but pretty much in a similar manner to Nico, by means of expectancy, "I see you guys made it~ But I'd rather like it if you two keep it down more. Those tremors weren't actually silent, ya know," she seemed okay, seeing as she was teasing them normally, as she always did.

 

Though somehow, she looked like she was chummy enough with the Magician to tease him without any caution.

 

And Kotori caught on with it.

 

Hanayo followed suit as she carefully stood from her spot on Tsubasa's side and trekked, more like stumbled, towards Kotori, hugging her with so much force that Kotori wondered just how long they haven't seen each other.

 

"Kotori-chan!", the brunette squealed in joy, tears running down her cheeks like waterfalls, and Kotori couldn't help but wipe the teardrops with her hand, though she somehow didn't feel the same sentiments.

 

She guessed that Lucas's encouragement still lingers in her mind. And she didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

 

Somehow, she agrees with not being too emotional.

 

While Kotori was preoccupied with being greeted by Hanayo and the rest of the gang, Lucas was having a mini heart attack when he was suddenly being pitted by Nico and Nozomi. While he was quite familiar with the two, he couldn't really think of anything to start up a conversation with them.

 

So all in all, it was awkward facing the two of them.

 

Luckily, Nico has a knack for being the icebreaker for everything, awkward or not, "So? Anything to say? I mean—", she gestured to Nozomi and herself, "—I know that the three of us are somewhat related cuz we kind of know each other now so how's about you just spit it all out?"

 

Opening his mouth for a second, Lucas raised his pointer finger, as if to ask something, "Uhm... Am I obligated to confess?", he nervously uttered, which he learned next was a wrong question to ask.

 

Wrong question to ask if Nozomi is there, "Oh? And you dare escape otherwise?", if anyone can sense her mischievous aura from afar, it would be Lucas. And Nico, if she doesn't play ignorant.

 

So when she gestures a signature movement, it almost took Lucas pretty much everything in him just to stop this uprising fear from potentially breaking his composure, so he just chuckled away, "Oh no! Definitely not! Just... just making sure! Hehe~", his trademark head scratching and goofy smile was there.

 

But it wasn't enough to convince Nozomi. And Nico just snickered at him.

 

Yep, these two were devils. More so than him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Huh... And here I thought Aleister just dumped us in this hell hole and locked us with no one around to even guard the fucking place," Nico uttered when Lucas and Kotori had finished explaining to them about everything that had happened so far along the way.

 

As usual, she still uses her typical profanities.

 

"I can actually think of that possibility coming true. But apparently, Aleister is too wary of your abilities to even leave you alone without any supervision," Lucas answered.

 

Nozomi hummed, digesting their suggestive opinions regarding Aleister's choice of movement, "I don't think it's a coincidence that someone had been here guarding us," she shrugged.

 

Umi and Eli both glanced at each other, confused at Nozomi's words, "Isn't it already a given that Aleister would at least have one of his men patrolling us?", the blonde asked, not really certain as to what's going on in her childhood friend's mind.

 

"Yes, but think about it," Nozomi held up her hand, her pointer and middle finger upright while the others remained relaxed, "If that were his motives, then I can guess two flaws in them."

 

Raising a brow, Lucas tilted his head to the side, anticipating the purple-haired girl's suspicions, "And what, pray tell, are those?", he wasn't really frustrated about the fact that she had somehow figured out some defects in Aleister's plans, more like he was somehow proud of her.

 

She may be more of a genius than he could ever be.

 

"Firstly, he put us in a cell at the very base of his old facility," she gestured the whole surrounding area, "It doesn't seem like he did something but somehow while we were trapped here, we couldn't break the bars nor can we destroy the walls around us. Besides that, our powers are freely controlled only limited inside the perimeters."

 

"Secondly, if he was actually including a guard in his plans—" she snickered, "—then how come he's not near us? Better yet, why can't he be in the same room?"

 

Eyes widening, Lucas seemed to be getting the lines as to what Nozomi was saying. The way he flinched when she said all that had settled his suspicions.

 

"Even if you guys were to fight here, we wouldn't be able to help because we can't break free. Besides—", she motioned the room again, "—if the guy that you fought seeks his strength in the shadows then don't you think he'll be less likely to beat in a dark place like this?"

 

After that, it was Kotori who seemed like she had gotten the gist of whatever Nozomi has in mind.

 

And it had made a cold chill run down her spine.

 

"So... you're saying that it wasn't expected that he would have one of his men warding this place?", the ashen-haired girl muttered breathlessly, gulping as she waited for the answer.

 

Nozomi pressed her lips into a thin line, then smiled, "That may be so, but it is only a theory," she crossed her arms, "You both managed to break us free, meaning that regardless of this place being escape proof, only power from the outside can damage it. So it wouldn't be a wise choice to leave this place unsupervised."

 

"However, even if he did consider you having us freed from our cells while fighting with one of his men, don't you think it's a little too suspicious? If he really did intend for us to be trapped here, then he should've secured us to another place—a much more stricter facility," she continued, but never suggested the Garden of Glass Facility. It was stuck on her mind the whole time as she went on with her theories. But she thought it best to leave those thoughts alone for the time being.

 

"In other words, this is all a fluke," Nico put it simply, her calm facade betraying whatever she meant in her straightforward words. She had her eyes closed and her head low, so they couldn't really capture whatever she was thinking of.

 

Kotori bit her bottom lip in deep thought, a very problematic theory popping on her head all of a sudden, "If...," she started.

 

The rest turned to look at her, waiting for her to ebb on with her thoughts.

 

"If... he did intend for this to happen..."

 

The temperature in the room suddenly dropped, the whole atmosphere tensing from a weird and strange vibe emitting from every corner of the room.

 

"... then does that mean..."

 

The pipes were vibrating, as if the whole world was shaking but only through the metal poles. Then the walls cracked, and the bars flew. The dim lights blinked, and the water overflowed.

 

"... that it's all going according to his plan?"

 

When she finished, everything went dark. And for a moment, Kotori could smell a distinct odor that was familiar. She couldn't keep up with her thoughts before her entire system shut down, in deep slumber they all went.

 

A shadow approached them, a grin plastered on his face with the dim lights poorly highlighting his features, "Would you look at this? How adorable, I could literally snap their heads off in one flick! Bwahahahaha!", it cackled.

 

"Ah~ I think I'll just take it slowly, one by one, bone by bone~," it spoke, slowly creeping towards the unconscious group, a trail of muddy footprints being left behind as he trekked forward.

 

Not noticing a single movement from one of the supposedly inanimate people.

 

"Say goodbye, little pests~!", the man scowls, then raises a sharp claw towards them.

 

Only to be stopped when a light was emitted from below his unsuspecting figure.

 

"Not today," Lucas simply answered before the bright light engulfed them, then slowly pulled the rest of them along inside.

 

And disappeared. Leaving him and the shadow behind.

 

"Where did you send them?", it may sound like it was delivered softly, but the glare and growl that the man made was not far from irritation.

 

And Lucas can sense it.

 

"I don't know," he simply shrugged. Then made a motion for the enemy to come closer, "But I can give you a clue if you beat me," he challenged.

 

And the opponent accepts, anger taking full control of his rationale, "You...! Tell me where they are before I kill you to shreds!", he yelled.

 

And Lucas only scoffed. But on the back of his mind, he was concerned.

 

'Separate or not, please be safe.'


	39. Episode 38

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I just wanna tell you that this is the first chapter of the last arc of this story, so maybe I can finish this by the end of May! Possibly, of course. Not sure about my speed in writing, but since I’m very unmotivated, I think it would take a bit longer. But it won’t reach June, I can assure you that.
> 
> Thanks for the constant support. If anything seems a bit rushed or weong, just tell me. Hahahaha, I’ll slow things down in the next chapters if possible.

Lucas wasn't in a pinch, but he wasn't gaining the upper hand. Not sooner or later though, and perhaps it would take awhile before this fight ends.

 

Whichever side wins is the question that he repeatedly asked himself over and over. Thinking about it, this wouldn't be considered a real battle since technically he wasn't really about to take his opponent seriously.

 

The problem was, his enemy wants to go all out on him. And he can't seem to shake the weird vibe that his offender emits.

 

"What's the matter, Magician? Scared that I can take you on all by myself?", the political gentleman from afar so much as tried to taunt Lucas himself, irritating him ever since the raven head made the girls disappear into thin air.

 

It did, however, get under Lucas's skin, but not in a way that he'll grant his silent prayer of getting mad. It was already bad that he was guilty for not really taking him seriously. But he was rather rude of indirectly addressing him as a coward.

 

For sure, Nico would be snickering if she heard this.

 

Nope, screw that, she may have pretty much heard that.

 

So in order for him to maintain a calm and collected mind, he decided to just go with the flow and react accordingly to the enemy.

 

Faking it, of course.

 

"Oh, I'm scared alright," he smirked, faking the whole 'scared of you' thing, thinking of the best gesture that would've made Nico run for her money.

 

This went unnoticed by his opponent, so it wasn't entirely a failure.

 

He sensed the scowl that immediately went to replace the once smug grin on the gentleman, eyes gleaming with murderous intent, "Don't get too cocky with me... I'll bring back your head to Aleister, even if it's the last thing I'll do!", he declared.

 

But Lucas deadpanned his idea, "Ah, that so?", much like how Nico would do it herself.

 

He couldn't believe how much influence Nico has on him. Up until now, he was carrying a part of her with him, even though their meeting was short and awkward.

 

But not only her. He's also carrying memories of his brother. Of Kihal. And how he would've reacted to the situation as well.

 

As much as he would've liked to admit, those two were pretty similar, in a way. And not just attitude. Their mannerisms were almost identical, it was hard for him to identify which is which, besides their outside appearances.

 

And even though his younger brother wasn't in this world anymore, he'll always be carrying his memories of him around. And even without it, Nico's personality can just jog his brain back into shape.

 

Both works in amazing ways so he doesn't mind what happens.

 

Not now. Not when he still has a mission before his reunion with Kihal.

 

So before that, he'll be sure to properly make it up to the world he had destroyed.

 

And even this man won't stop him. Nothing can. After all, the Magician doesn't back down, nor does he run away. He faces head on and doesn't hold back.

 

At least, the latter one being made just now.

 

"Guess I'll just have to find out if you're capable of beheading me," he snickers before gesturing his opponent to attack him, something he hasn't done in a long time.

 

It was a bad habit, and he liked it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kotori opened her eyes, gasping for air as she tried to slow down the beating of her heart. It was racing as she glanced around. She wasn't in the cell, and this place wasn't familiar when they search the whole abandoned lab. It was a bit dim from the lack of light source, but there was a windowpane in the top of the room that she was in.

 

Correction, in the room they were in.

 

She wasn't alone, but they weren't here completely so she can only assume that they were all separated. And as to how she keeps thinking like someone from a detective movie, she had no clue.

 

The slight movement to her left made her glance, and she was relived to find that Umi, Honoka and Tsubasa were with her. Considering the latter's condition, however, made her scramble to her location.

 

They were conscious, thank goodness, but not conscious enough to be awake like she was. And, unlike Hanayo, she can't heal any of them.

 

But shielding them from the cold was better than doing nothing.

 

So she summoned her dragon partner, the large Spirit Animal seemingly fitting inside the room, but not enough to have him receive any freedom of stretching its wings widely.

 

Though it was only intended to wrap the four of them to ensure safety and warmth.

 

"I know it's not a favorable situation, but we need all the rest we can get," she told the mythical creature, and it nodded at her words, hugging them tightly with its wings as it pulled them closer to its body.

 

She never intended to go back to sleeping, but given the current state of one of them, they couldn't possibly traverse at the moment. So she was willing to waste time for resting.

 

Because charging recklessly wouldn't do them any good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"How did I end up being with you of all people?", Maki frustratingly twirled a strand of her hair, her usual habit whenever she's anxious, nervous, or disturbed.

 

And now, she was a bit annoyed. Not sure why though, but because they're alone together in the same room...

 

Well, even though they're in some sort of mutual agreement, the awkwardness was still present.

 

"I don't know why you're suddenly being shy. It's only me, you know," came the deadpan voice of her companion, who happens to be Nico. She was leaning on the wall, arms crossed. Her usual twin tails were unbalanced since one of her ribbons were cut off somehow, which left only one side tied up.

 

But Maki doesn't seem to mind.

 

She did scoff though, "Shy? I don't get you," she mumbled, refusing eye contact with the shorter girl.

 

Nico wasn't really expecting Maki to act like everything was fine between them, but the unsuspecting tension seemed to be prevailing their mutual interest so she had no choice but to keep quiet. Sure her feelings were starting to come around, but the effects of the drugs were still in her system, and she couldn't help how her emotions betray her at times.

 

Now, most especially.

 

"Look, whatever problem you have with me won't get us anywhere right now. So if you really want to look for the others, suck up your pride and just put up with me for now, okay?", she sighed, not really meaning to state it in an irritated manner, but what's done is done.

 

And Maki doesn't seem to notice her tone of voice.

 

"Put up with you... huh...," the redhead whispered to herself, tightening her hands into a fist as she gritted her teeth.

 

Nico noticed this, but did nothing nor ask for the reason. She just stared at her weirdly, blinking every once in awhile. For some reason throughout their awkward conversation...

 

She may have thought that Maki was sort of cute.

 

Unfortunately, now wasn't the time to be falling for the redhead, she mentally noted. Sure, she was interested in taking the first step, but with Maki being in an emotional turmoil, it really wasn't the right time for any of this to happen.

 

So she waited, hoping that something would break their silence. She didn't feel right at being the icebreaker at the moment, so she hoped for a miracle. Anything at all.

 

No matter how bad it would turn out, as long as she didn't have to endure the atmosphere for a long time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Err... Hanayo... are you okay?", Eli gently placed a hand on the usually timid girl'sshoulder, causing her to jump from the sudden contact as she glanced behind her.

 

The brunette exhaled as she saw who approached her, placing a hand to steady her heartbeat, "Oh... I'm fine... I just need to... think about the situation," she said, hesitant as she looked at the room they were in.

 

"Kayo-chin, don't stress, nya! It's bad for you. Rin will get worried," the orange-haired girl beside her slightly bumped her head onto Hanayo's arm, a sign that means she's there for her childhood friend through thick and thin.

 

And Hanayo felt instant relief from that.

 

"Thanks, Rin-chan," she muttered lowly, focusing on stopping the upcoming blush from spreading on her cheeks, but to no avail.

 

Watching the two interact made memories appear in Eli's head. Somehow, even though they were in this sort of situation, she wasn't afraid nor was she stressed about being separated from the group.

 

She can feel Nozomi, even though they weren't together.

 

That's just how it is. Ever since their reunion about a month ago, she started having these weird feelings, apparently akin to sharing emotions. And each time she felt these, it was always fixated on Nozomi. It was as if she herself can feel what Nozomi feels.

 

It was like they were connected through their hearts.

 

Cliche, she knew, but it was the truth. And now, even with the whole ordeal, she wasn't the slightest bit worried. Nozomi was fine, she was fine, they were alright so everything would work out.

 

Hopefully, she thought. As long as she had faith, as per Nozomi's words from long ago, then the future will never disappoint.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Ara ara~ Looks like I drew the short end of the straw this time," the purple-haired girl uttered, amused at how things turned out on her end. Somehow, she ended up alone, in a corridor, with someone on the other end of her path.

 

And that someone being a Government Official.

 

"Heh~ Is that so? Lucky me then. Not too much work on my side," the figure on the other side grinned, golden eyes watching intently even from afar. They were creepy enough to send chills to even the toughest of opponents.

 

But apparently, Nozomi doesn't see it as frightening. And that was the most disturbing thing of all.

 

Even for the enemy.

 

"Seems reasonable enough," the green-eyed girl shrugged, not meant to show it as a taunt to her opponent.

 

Maybe it did though, who knows.

 

The figure from afar clicked its tongue, annoyed by the way Nozomi takes light of their conversation, "Confident now, are we?", it snickered, walking closer towards the purple-haired girl, its figure finally being shown.

 

Nozomi was amused when it wasn't a human, rather a mutated cyborg of some sort with glaring yellow eyes. Metallic pieces here and there, but mostly human flesh covered the body.

 

Maybe the skeletal frame, but not that it mattered.

 

The most frightening part was the core showing from the chest. It was blue and very bright, twinkling and very mesmerizing. Inside it was some sort of power that was swirling in an unsual manner.

 

And Nozomi was curious about it.

 

"Shall we test that cockiness of yours?", even though they revealed themselves as a robot, partially, the verbal deliverance was very much humanly and unlikely monotonous.

 

Which made Nozomi's curiosity level go even higher.

 

"Sure, why not. As long as I get to slowly explore every inch of your body," that may have sounded weird to others, but since it was a robot, Nozomi wasn't really talking about anything other than the literal.

 

And she wasn't one to kid around at times like this.

 

"Bring it on," the cyborg opened its palms in front as it absorbed magical particles in the air and slowly formed an orb, drawing out its energy until it shoots into some sort of beam.

 

Nozomi reacted in advance, sidestepping just before the beam hit her on the shoulder. Though the robot shot two at the same time, the area of its range was ignored somehow by her evasion.

 

"Is this an energy beam? No...," the purple-haired girl licked her bottom lip in thought, a sudden click making her eyes widen for awhile, "Is this... magic? Formed by absorbing particles in the air...?" She whispered to herself.

 

Composing her stature, Nozomi brought out a small compact device from her back pocket, sighing when she realized that Aleister didn't notice it, since her guns were taken, "I'm impressed. Whoever made you must've been a genius for inventing an orb that can actually convert molecular particles in the air into magical energy," she urges for her opponent to react, not expecting it to but to somehow show just how much she can assume just from a single observation of its power.

 

To her surprise, the robot did pause for a moment, probably composing itself from the sudden revelation, "You... figured all that out just from one attack?!", it uttered with as much emotion as it could muster, very outstanding considering it was just an AI.

 

Nozomi, however, only shrugged and twirled the small device on her hand between her fingers, "It wasn't that hard to figure out. Besides, the more curious I am—", she slowly crept towards the robot, then threw the small trinket at it with a low clang, "—the faster I can analyze the situation. And you're more fascinating than I can ever imagine!", she giggled to herself, amused when the robot was slightly taken aback at the device attached to its chest.

 

"What—What is this?!", it tried to pull the clogged device but to no avail, it was stuck to it like a strong magnet and didn't seem to be letting up at any moment.

 

Though it did start ticking.

 

"Ah, I think it's one of those time bombs I've been working on for the past few months~," Nozomi teased, hand on her chin as she looked entertained at the cyborg's distress at dislodging the device from its body.

 

Gritting it's metallic teeth, the robot glowered its yellow orbs at the girl, "Time bomb?!", it yelled, as if having a time bomb on its body was the worst thing that could ever happen to it.

 

Which was, for most beings, the biggest possible threat at the moment.

 

"Well, I can't really remember most of my inventions since there are too much to count," Nozomi shrugged effortlessly, very much accustomed with having forgotten one of her trinkets.

 

Of course, with the amount of it all, anyone could hardly keep count as well.

 

Just in the nick of time, her reflex kicked in when a metal fist almost collided with her head. Luckily, she managed to dodge with just an inch of distance from the object.

 

Nozomi could easily guess that the robot was furious. If that was ever the correct term. She wouldn't have known the level of its anger, but she was very much assured that it was aiming for her head.

 

"You...! How dare you...! Get rid of this thing!", the cyborg angrily yelled as it launched itself straight for Nozomi, to which the girl had reacted with rolling off to the side to avoid impact.

 

Magnetically, the robot was somewhat attracted to its fist, so when it had pursued Nozomi from across the room, it's detached part was immediately planted back to its original place.

 

However, the engaging attack didn't end there.

 

The robot leaped into the air, spinning sidewards into  a drill with its elbows propped up on its sides, now with spikes adorning its arms, making its attack dangerous.

 

Nozomi's eyes widened from this, but she never did plan on dodging the attack. It wasn't because of the suddenness, but rather it was because of an idea suddenly coming out of the blue.

 

And she wouldn't be satisfied until she commits every idea she thinks of.

 

So when the robot's drill attack sped up and neared, the purple-haired girl pulled out a tiny metal ball from her pocket and smashed it forcefully into the ground, causing smoke to emit from it and engulf the whole room.

 

The cyborg was unfazed, however, "That attack won't work," it uttered devilishly, seeing as the spin from its charge blew away the smoke in the surrounding area.

 

But what shocked it was the disappearance of its enemy from plain sight below.

 

"What the—where did she—?!"

 

Smirking, Nozomi took the chance to leap behind the robot from above, one hand raised with three sharp cards being held in between her fingers, "I'll have you know that even though I'm unarmed, I still got an ace up my sleeve," she then showed one of her cards, which was the ace of hearts, "Get it?"

 

If the robot could retort, it would've sent a deadpanned expression accompanied with a sluggish sarcastic reply.

 

But it was still in the middle of an attack, which limited its actions fully.

 

"Besides, I am a modern ninja somehow still~", Nozomi drew another set of three cards on her other hand, making it a total of six cards to hit as she readied her hands oppositely positioned and catapulted behind her, "Ninja Technique Secret Arts: Vital Aim!", she threw the cards towards the still spinning robot, at which it expected her attack to fail and be swatted away.

 

How wrong it had concluded.

 

All six cards went at specific parts of its body, specifically on the joints: on the back of its neck, one on each elbow, one on each knee, and one on the core. How she managed to aim them at those points were magnificent in itself, but that didn't just stop there.

 

Actually, the robot stopped its movements all together, making it paralyzed and crash to the ground with a very disturbing thud. The floor was wrecked and the debris flew over the place.

 

But that didn't stop it from launching an iron fist at Nozomi.

 

Dodging while being in midair is hard, and even for Nozomi, that applies. So when the cyborg shoots its knuckle at her, even the slow motion couldn't help her evade. And with only her hands mobile at the moment, she let herself be hit by the unexpected attack.

 

"Guh—?!", it was very sudden. Accompanied by a very powerful engine, the closed metal hand was able to carry the purple-haired girl with ease towards the ceiling—better yet, crush her with the many floors above them. And along the way, with each ground hit, Nozomi groaned and spat blood with a frustrated and pained expression.

 

Below her, the robot flew up, speeding towards them without any motions or efforts. And only the magnetism of its fist was the only power pulling it from the ground and easily following Nozomi's lead to the upper floors.

 

When it did attach itself with its fist, it drove Nozomi even further on the incoming ceilings, the girl grunting and wincing as it did. Somewhere along the way, she could feel—hear—her ribs breaking behind her.

 

That wasn't a pretty good sign.

 

When the original above-surface floor came to view, the robot rotated its whole body around, as it cannot move its joints freely, and flung Nozomi at a sturdy wall, where she crashed without breaking the support.

 

She landed on the ground with a very painful impact, putting her arms below her to somehow soften her landing. And hopefully ease her swollen and broken ribs.

 

She was still human, and even when those previous enemies had more powerful spells at their disposal, she was weaponless at the moment.

 

"Even when immobile, I am able to carry out my mission in defeating you. Fascinating, yes~?", even as it couldn't roll its arms around, the robot sneered as it had the upper hand even when handicapped.

 

Nozomi, however, didn’t respond. She was quiet and unmoving. Only the slight ragged breathing was noticeable in her wake, and although that was reassuring in some degree, she was still in trouble.

 

Now both of them were handicapped, but with the purple-haired girl being susceptible to pain and the robot wasn’t, she was on the lower edge of the battle.

 

After all, the robot can still kill her, even when it was as stiff as a board.

 

“Any last words?”, the cyborg monotonously uttered, threatening and indifferent to Nozomi’s condition. The core on its chest area began to glow in a brighter blue as it was readying its attack.

 

It had a safe distance from the girl, but even then she couldn’t be capable of dodging, nor can she, in any sort of way, defend herself from the incoming strike.

 

But she did smile.

 

“I think...”

 

The robot stared blatantly at her as she hacked blood onto the floor, then its artificial eyes widened when Nozomi continued.

 

“I think... my partner is more than capable of doing that for me...”

 

Seeing the smirk on Nozomi’s face was unbelievable. And before the cyborg can glance at whoever Nozomi was referring to, a roar came from below as the purple-armored dragon came into view and ripped apart the robot, limb by limb, piece by piece. Its claws ravaged whatever was left of it as the remains fell on the floor.

 

And even then, the robot was still capable of speaking.

 

“Wha—When did you—?!”

 

“Oops... I guess time’s up for you...,” even in her pitiful state, Nozomi still bothered to laugh.

 

And the robot eyed her with one confused eye, “What do you mean—”

 

But it didn’t finish when the time bomb on its chest exploded, its diameter wide enough to engulf all of its scattered body parts, but not enough to consume even Nozomi.

 

Apparently, with the addition of the already broken floors down below, the whole upper area began to collapse, bringing it down with gravity.

 

Nozomi fell, but luckily, her Spirit Animal caught her in time, “Good thing I summoned you before I went flying earlier up here... hehe...,” she softly chuckled at her own luck, remembering when she had summoned her partner before the robot sent her flying with its metal fist.

 

The dragon grunted, clearly annoyed at Nozomi’s lax expression even when in this desperate situation.

 

The purple-haired girl just petted it back, closing her eyes in tiredness, “I know... I’m sorry... I’ll just... rest for awhile... okay...?”, she muttered before sleep completely consumed her, leaving the gigantic creature to grunt on response and crawl its way inside the building, trying to find at least one of their friends in hopes of getting Nozomi healed.

 

It just hoped that everything’s still not too late.


	40. Episode 39

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Another week, another Chapter. Thanks for all the kudos and support! I’m nearing the end so please, motivation, even though it’s all dried up! I will still finish! 
> 
> Sorry if it’s a bit rushed. I’ve been busy lately. Here’s the new chapter!

"Wha-What's happening?!", Maki exclaimed in surprise as the whole building shook in a very unsettling quake. The ceiling looked like they were about to collapse at any given moment, and the walls had cracks running up from below.

 

Nico, however, took this as a very bad sign. And whatever she sensed, heard, smelled and felt, went unsaid. Though the slight crease of her forehead told much about her emotion, the redhead didn't pry.

 

Of course, since the black-haired girl beat her to it.

 

"It's Nozomi...," she muttered in a voice that even Maki can at least hear with the help of her Spirit Animal's heightened senses.

 

Looking at her weirdly, the purple-eyed girl gulped nervously, "Nozomi...? Did something...?", the uncertainty in her tone was very conceivable, to the stage that Nico wanted to just get straight to the point with her.

 

Whatever her gut tells her.

 

"She's been attacked," she told the younger teen, calm enough to deliver it without any overreaction from the redhead, but with enough emotion to at least show some of her standpoint in the situation.

 

After all, this was one of those times where she can remember their names. It's not everyday that she gets to call them normally.

 

So she wanted to keep it going for as long as it's there.

 

Gulping in anticipation, Maki carefully eyed the shorter girl, "And... Is she okay...?", she breathed out a very shaky breath, unsure of whether she wanted to hear the answer or not.

 

The very bad vibe she felt from earlier made her think about the bad outcome. And she'd rather not hear that.

 

But she was waiting. And Nico didn't sugarcoat anything.

 

"She's in a bad shape. Some of her ribs were broken and her blood amount seems to drop by the minute. Her Spirit Animal is roaming the whole building for reasons unknown, but I can definitely tell that it's looking for us," the red-eyed girl monotonously uttered, as if sensing everything without second thoughts of whether what comes out from her mouth are good things or not.

 

The thought of the purple-haired girl being unable to stand up at least was very scary in its own way.

 

And very enraging.

 

"Then what are we waiting for?! Let's find her before she... she...!", before finishing her sentence, Maki had grabbed Nico by her wrist and dragged her out of the room, busting open the door with the help of her Spirit Animal.

 

Surprised, Nico finally snapped out of her trance. And realization kind of dawned on her just in time.

 

Maki was the daughter of two famous doctors. It's only natural that she'd catch up with her parents' profession.

 

Which explains her worrisome expression.

 

Smiling to herself softly, Nico sighed in relief before quickly snatching Maki's freedom by lifting her up from the ground, causing her to blush.

 

"Wha-What are you doing—Put me down!", the redhead yelped when the other girl sped up, not taking a chance at letting the girl in her arms talk.

 

"It'll be faster this way. Besides, I'd rather not tire you out," giving a goofy grin, Nico returned her expression to a neutral one before saying, "And the quicker we get to her, the faster she recovers," in a very serious manner.

 

Trying to somehow prevent her face from getting redder, the redhead looked around and refused to glance at Nico. While they had an interval in their usual routine of barking at each other, it didn't really seem to affect their feelings.

 

Which was something that either Maki liked or disliked. She wasn't sure, but it may just change things.

 

Or not.

 

"You're cute when you blush...," Nico suddenly uttered for now reason at all while hiding a side grin and a slow tint of pink on her cheeks.

 

Maybe that tiny reaction just gave Maki a chance to portray her feelings.

 

Just not now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The black-haired girl stopped at a dead end, which was supposed to be a shortcut as to where Nozomi and her Spirit Animal are currently roaming. Apparently, Nico didn't sense a wall of some sorts at the direction they were headed so she got a bit confused.

 

And irritated.

 

"What the...?! How in the world did we end up in a corner?!", she angrily stomped her way to the blockage in front of them, glaring at it and refusing to back down, "I did not sense any wall, and I'm pretty sure that some fucked up weirdo made this to slow us down," she fumed.

 

Maki sighed hopelessly, "Look, everyone makes mistakes—probably most especially you. And just because there's something blocking us that you couldn't foresee doesn't mean that someone's messing with us," she twirled a strand of her hair, the usual routine to somehow ease her frustration at the smaller girl.

 

So much for confessing, she thought.

 

"Huh?! Me? Making a mistake? At this moment?!", forgetting personal boundaries and, somehow, their social status, Nico glared at the taller woman up close, their faces inches apart, though romantically this is a disaster, "I don't know how you can keep on retorting to my opinions, but please keep in mind that I'm fucking older than you...," she practically hissed at the redhead before taking a closer look at the wall in front of them.

 

Or rather, stepping closer to the blockage so she can wreck it.

 

"Someone made this shit appear out of nowhere and I'm going to break this stupid wall to bits!", snarling angrily, Nico changer her arm into her werewolf form and clobbered the whole cemented wall.

 

To which it passed right through, making her stumble forward a bit.

 

"What the...," Nico uttered as she slowly turned her head to look at Maki, who looked just as surprised as she does. Anyone who sees that would probably react in the same way.

 

So how was that possible?

 

"My my, what a temper you have there, little girl~", a very disturbing voice popped up from out of nowhere, ringing across the whole corridor as the two girls looked around to find the source.

 

Nico glanced at the ceiling, then she threw a small pebble up in the air, somehow hitting something.

 

Or someone.

 

"Ouch! How dare you—?! Wait, how—?!"

 

"Tch... You're voice isn't exactly subtle. It's kind of unnerving, and kind of pissing me off a bit," Nico transformed her arm back to normal as she walked back towards Maki, passing her by a few inches before whispering, "Be careful. I don't think this guy's supposed to be underestimated just because his voice is ticking me off," in a very irritated manner.

 

'Figures,' Maki chuckled in her head as she nodded at Nico's words. She did feel a very strong aura from the guy, and just from the way he, kind of, insulted Nico, he isn't someone to be messed around with.

 

The pebble that Nico threw earlier fell onto the ground with a light clang, then a very muscular man followed suit, the ground now wrecked along with his landing.

 

The sudden entrance of the enemy startled the other two, making them yelp and shudder in disgust at how the enemy was dressed. Not exactly like the typical gentlemen of Aleister's group, since he seems to be sporting a white tank top that looked fitting on his enormously buffed body, along with army pants and he was barefooted.

 

Very unnerving, the two girls thought at the same time.

 

No way were they going to enjoy this fight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eli perked up from her position as she looked around, as if searching for something.

 

Of course, her actions did not go unnoticed by the other two in the same room with her, "What is it, Eli-chan nya?", Rin asked worriedly, eyebrows creasing as she did so.

 

The blonde faced the orange-haired girl before placing a hand on her chest, not realizing how her breathing had become uneven, "I... I'm not sure... I think I can feel Nozomi...," she hesitated, unsure whether her gut feelings are real or not.

 

Hanayo flinched when she heard the purple-haired girl's name. She held an immediate hand on the blonde's shoulder, staring intently at her, "Is she alright?!", she questions in a very frantic tone, gulping at whatever Eli was about to answer her with.

 

"She's......," not sure how to say what she's feeling, Eli looked at the ground instead, avoiding any eye contact with Hanayo so as to not look at her intense gaze. If the wrong choice of words went out of her mouth, she wasn't sure how the younger girl would react.

 

It made her think more seriously about her answer to her.

 

Rin didn't seem to catch up to the two, but seeing Hanayo react that way made her understand bits of it. She is worried about Nozomi, she assumed. She thought that, with how long Hanayo was in the care of both Nozomi and Kotori, she was bound to react like this. It involved her family, after all.

 

Just like how she would react if Rin was in trouble.

 

The cat-like girl reminisced the time where the two childhood friends were still by each other's arms, both of them not letting up from the hug. It was as if the world centered around them, nothing else matters except that they were comfortable in each other's hold.

 

Those were the good old days. Before fate decided to rip them apart when Spirit Animals came into contact with them both. Hanayo was driven away, forced to fend off for herself alone, without anyone to stay by her side.

 

For her, meeting Nozomi and Kotori was a blessing. And Rin kind of woshed that she had that kind of life also.

 

"Rin-chan?"

 

Snapping out of her thoughts, the orange-haired girl glanced at Hanayo, meeting her worried gaze at her, "Hanayo?", she whispered to herself.

 

And a daunting realization came into view; he called her by her name. Not the usual nickname she was used to call her.

 

Just Hanayo.

 

Whatever instinct made her call her childhood friend that was either sadistic or apathetic. Because never in a million years have Rin thought about changing the way she refers to Hanayo.

 

Never for all her life. And here she was, calling her by her name, without honorifics or the usual nickname.

 

And it made her feel weird.

 

Even Eli, she admits, was surprised. But not only with the sudden change of reference, but also with the tone that Rin used.

 

It was as if she had been second guessing things.

 

"Rin-chan... what's wrong?", now, Hanayo tried to grab Rin's attention, somehow checking her temperature if she had a fever or something. Because Rin was acting weird and she was worried. Because she was so quiet all of a sudden that it made her feel weirded out.

 

Because Rin called her by her name, which she had never done before and it felt awful somehow.

 

Snapping out of her trance, Rin quickly shook her head and slapped her hands on her cheeks, making them red from the pain but the sting didn't seem to faze the ginger, "It's nothing, nya! I'm sorry, Kayo-chin. Maybe things are getting all weird and stuff that I'm getting dizzy. But don't worry nya!", she then pounced on Hanayo, hugging her on her back with her arms wrapped around the slightly shorter girl's neck, "As long as you're around, then I'm fine!", she said, grinning from ear to ear, without any worries.

 

And, surprisingly, Hanayo felt the genuine energy in her childhood friend, adapting to her mood and joining her in the hug, "If you're okay then I guess I am as well," she snuggled up on her childhood friend's neck, smelling the light lemon scent that Rin always smells like.

 

Feeling this close to their loved one makes them both happy.

 

So all in all, Eli felt reassured about the two. She had nothing to worry about between them. Their relationship seemed healthy enough to go by this unprecedented circumstances.

 

But the bad feeling came back. And this time, her instincts are getting even stronger as she glanced around the room frantically.

 

The other two noticed her being fidgety and anxious, so they looked at each other in worry, "Eli-chan, is Nozomi...?", knowing Hanayo, she still bears her concern for the purple-haired girl, so when the blonde acted up the same way earlier again, it gave her the conclusion that her actions still pertain to Nozomi's wellbeing.

 

Biting her bottom lip, Eli slowly nodded, still unsure, "I know what I'm feeling is connected to her, but the pain is... almost unbearable now...," she gasps all of a sudden, being drawn to the wall on their right as she hurriedly ran towards it, summoning her Spirit Animal along the way.

 

"Blue Flare!", the blonde commanded, the fox following suit as it opened its mouth, blue fire swirling along the tip of its canines as it bursted into a torrent of raging blue flames into the wall, melting it and burning off the whole beam as it disintegrated to the edges.

 

In response, a huge flying figure flew straight into their room, causing the wind to get trapped inside and create a heavy atmosphere.

 

Hanayo screamed as she was almost about to float in midair by the strong gale, luckily Rin, with all her might, managed to pull her down to the ground, not letting their hug break.

 

Eli didn't mind the wind, instead she hopped onto her Spirit Animal and asked for a ride towards the gigantic figure's back, showing only concern and fear as the fox obeyed without anymore questions.

 

When the wind slowly died down, both Hanayo and Rin sighed as they finally let out steady breaths. Then they turned to look at the mysterious being that suddenly bursted inside the room they were in.

 

Their eyes widened when realization dawned on them as the figure in front of them turned out to be Nozomi's second Spirit Animal. The dragon's purple scales was stained with blood and its claws were holding something.

 

Something shiny, in particular.

 

But when they glanced at where Eli was hovering over, Nozomi laid limply on the dragon's back, her body featuring blood as the fluid dripped from her mouth. Her shirt was a bit wrinkled, but when a very visible bruise came into view, they knew just what happened to her.

 

Placing the injured girl on the ground, Eli immediately asked her Spirit Animal to heal her, which it obediently obliged as it showed its nine tails, the flames on the tips slowly forming above the purple-haired girl as she was slowly being healed.

 

Wasting no time, Hanayo and Rin also went to Nozomi's side, the brunette putting her hands in front of her to prepare her healing ritual.

 

“Hanayo, let me heal her. You need to rest. You’ve been healing Tsubasa nonstop earlier. You can’t—”

 

“No... Nozomi-chan is also my friend. I can’t let you heal her while I’m just watching...,” the normally shy girl cut her off, standing firmly on her spot, not stopping on healing the injured girl.

 

Eli’s eyes widened and she was left speechless for awhile before she just accepted Hanayo’s decision. If they were reversed, then she would’ve done the same in a heartbeat. So she didn’t complain any further. She understands the girl, and she respects her.

 

For a few minutes, the three stayed silent in each other’s presence while Nozomi was being cured, but when Rin violently and immediately sprang on her spot, the other two looked up to her, surprised.

 

“What is it, Rin-chan?”, Hanayo asked, albeit a bit tired as her energy was slowly being drained. Though she showed no signs of stopping her work.

 

Rin was sniffing the air, her head turning sideways, as if hearing something from somewhere she can’t exactly pinpoint. Though she can recognize the odor.

 

“I smell... blood,” she continued to smell the air in hopes of following the iron scent, or at least pick up who’s blood it was. But with the rusty and thick walls of the whole building, she was getting confused with all of the mixed smells.

 

Eli stayed focus on healing her childhood friend, but she was concerned, “Who’s blood is it? Can you recognize the smell?”, she asked without looking at the orange-haired girl.

 

Rin shook her head, but maintained on sniffing out the location of the scent, “I’m not sure nya. The whole building is blocking the smell, and I can’t really pick up where it is,” she grumbled, rubbing her hair in frustration.

 

The blonde gulped, “Hopefully it doesn’t belong to one of our friends. I don’t want anyone to get hurt any further.”

 

‘Although that is highly impossible, considering the situation,’ Eli thought to herself, biting her lower lip in an attempt at hiding her discomfort. Having Nozomi in pain like this is already enough torture.

 

If anyone else was also hurt, she doesn’t know if they can handle anything anymore.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Hah... hah.... guh—!”

 

Dropping to the ground on her knees, the girl trembled as a bullet hole on her shoulder made her blood flow freely in her clothes, staining her shirt as her eyes continued to glare at the figure in front of them.

 

“You’re still alive? I would’ve assumed that since you’ve just recently woken up, you’d end up dead because of lack of energy,” a man in tux tipped his hat as he pointed a gun at the girl on the ground, “Perhaps I may have underestimated my enemies too much,” he reloaded his gun, threatening on pulling the trigger at her.

 

Witnessing what was happening in front of her, Umi’s eyes widened when she noticed who the girl was, and her arms shook in fear at what was about to happen.

 

“Kotori...?”, she muttered in a hushed tone, stretching out her arms in hopes of reaching out to the ashen-haired girl. Not wanting her to get hurt any further than she already was.

 

But she stopped ultimately on her movement when the girl turned around to look at her with a smile on her face, bloody but fine. And the calmness on her eyes reflected towards the bluenette, leaving her speechless.

 

“I’ll be fine, Umi-chan. Trust me,” she said, somehow confident and not scared. Somehow not even flinching when the trigger was already pulled. Somehow not glancing at the incoming bullet heading straight for her.

 

Because, amidst all that, she wasn’t the same Kotori from before. She was given the courage by the Magician himself, and this time, she didn’t have to worry.

 

Somehow, looking at Umi made her feel at ease. It made her feel braver. It made her want to stand up and protect her. Protect them all.

 

And that was exactly what she was going to do.


	41. Episode 40

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY guys! Another chapter here. Hope you can forgive this one. A bit shorter than the previous. Hahaha! 
> 
> Thanks for the support! A few more chapters to the end!

Umi internally screamed. Her arm was reaching out to her childhood friend, hoping that she can pull her away before the bullet hits her anywhere. But she knew that making it happen would take a miracle to grant, but she tried anyway.

 

Although being stunned on her spot made it almost impossible for her to reach the grey-haired girl. And she wasn’t responding to her action, which made it all the more frustrating.

 

But before the bullet could pierce any flesh, a sudden gust of wind made it recoil back towards the man, grazing him on the cheek as the pellet punched through the wall.

 

Blood dripped down the man’s cheek as he took the time to slowly feel the stinging cut. Although his eyes widened, nothing else portrayed any signs of surprise.

 

He didn’t expect anything like that. Perhaps it was because of his inability to perceive emotions, Kotori thought as she smiled at her savior. It was her Spirit Animal, her first one to be exact. The little grey bird fluttering in the air at a fast pace as it rested on its partner’s shoulder, the unharmed one, of course.

 

The bluenette let out a sigh of relief once she knew that Kotori was saved, though she didn’t really expect her to have her first Spirit Animal to do the job. The optional one was the dragon, so it was either Kotori was underestimating her opponent or she was this confident on the bird’s skills.

 

She, of course, fit perfectly on the latter so it was a bit of a surprise for Umi. If Kotori had this much faith in her little partner then it may be best to just believe in her, she concluded.

 

At the same time, she’ll be looking out for both Honoka and Tsubasa, who are still asleep and unperturbed by the situation. It was best this way since it’ll be easier for Kotori to do whatever she had in mind.

 

And maybe, just this once, she’ll try to stay as safe as possible. For her friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maki panicked. Actually, she may be more disgusted than unnerved. Her face was showing discomfort and her eye kept twitching every second or two. Not that she was bothered by the opponent, who looked similar to a muscular brute wearing a tank top with army pants.

 

Wait, actually he was. But that wasn’t why she was alarmed.

 

..... Well, it was partially at fault, too. It did somehow show off his very enormous muscles.

 

The thing was, Nico, who looked pissed earlier, was showing a horror-stricken face at the opponent. The redhead didn’t know if it was because of how he looked, or how he acted. But she was not moving in her place.

 

She was practically glued to the spot.

 

Sure, the man was... very startling, an understatement for Maki, but his choice of clothing and style can’t keep them distracted and discomforted forever. But now...

 

Maki may just think that Nico would be frozen forever. Big word, but she didn’t know if the older girl can recover.

 

“Ooh La La~ I see your friend is very attracted to my rather sexy body, yes?”, the large man said in a very gay accent while accentuating his curves, if there was with how toned and muscular his stomach was.

 

It kind of made Maki gag unintentionally.

 

Nico stayed stoned, however. Face still blank and muted.

 

The redhead was irritated, and without any warning, she had her leopard leap in towards the man, pouncing on him when he was still distracted by his own body.

 

... Just looking at him made Maki feel sick. But if she wanted to beat this guy, she had to face him off face to face, whether she wanted to or not.

 

She didn’t have any other choice, so either that or nothing.

 

Her partner managed to scratch the man before it pounced backwards, positioning itself from the recoiled jump. However, both Maki and her partner flinched when the muscles on the man’s body seemed to flex and, in a few seconds, restored its body. The scratches were no longer visible and it was as if he was unharmed in the first place.

 

Hiding his mouth with the back of his large hand, the muscular for laughed shamelessly, making Maki cringe in disgust, “Ho Ho Ho~ Is that all you’ve got? I think you can do better than that, honey~”, he cooed, blowing the redhead a kiss in her way, winking as he did so.

 

If anything, Maki just wanted to rest in peace than face this man. His character was too disturbing that it even overlapped her irritation of the raven head.

 

Not that she was at the moment, but Nico’s reaction to the situation is a bit annoying. Though she can relate somehow, Maki wanted to switch places, see how the senior would play the battle in her shoes.

 

Grunting, the amethyst-eyed girl can only face palm as she was stuck in a tight ballgame that would be the start of Maki’s nightmares. Begrudgingly as it would seem, “Can we please just get this over with? I’m tired of having to put up with your...urgh... personality.”

 

Faking a gasp, the enemy put up a face that was as pitiful as it was forced, “Your words wound me so~ Oh my! What did I ever do to deserve this treatment from you, my darling~?”, wiping his transparent tear away, he sobbed fraudulently, even bringing out a napkin to blow his supposedly full nose.

 

And it made Maki all the more sick. She’d wish that she was out of this, if it meant she would feel better than having bile fluctuating from her throat.

 

She’d have to teach Nico some manners about leaving her to handle this poor excuse for a man alone.

 

So much for being her companion.

 

Speaking of Nico though, she did notice the slight difference in her stature. She was slouched a bit than before, and her face darkened. If she was also disgusted by this man’s antics, then she was good at hiding it somehow.

 

But it wasn’t helping with the situation.

 

“Ara? Ignoring me now, are you? My my~ Now that is not how a lady such as yourself should behave~”, the man creepily told as he quickly dashed towards Maki and attacked her with a very unsettling right hook, startling the girl as she did not see it coming.

 

She did manage to dodge, but she lost balance in the short moment of her evasion, giving the opponent another chance to strike her with another hook, though this time, trying to actually aim at her head.

 

Eyes widening, Maki ducked with just a strand of her hair being the victim of the deadly swing. Surely the man’s prowess was very strong, undoubtedly, but she was topping him in terms of speed.

 

Which she planned on actually using from the start as she observed the foe’s movements.

 

During the duration of his disturbing speech, she managed to swap her Spirit Animal into her second one, having the fiery bird hide above, ready to strike at her command. Its body burned with passionate flames, fueled by Maki’s determination to quickly end the battle so as to prevent bile from forming in her throat any further.

 

“Now!”, the redhead shouted as the Phoenix’s eyes gleamed and twinkled. Raising its flaming wings, it hovered above its post and zipped down in a speed not even the naked eye could follow, “Phoenix Dive!”

 

The attack slowly melted the walls as the bird descended, creating a trail in the sidewalls as it did so. The man, as powerful as he was, cannot possibly defend himself from the incoming hit.

 

Which is why he opted with a simple, yet somehow elegant, sidestep, making Maki stare at him in disbelief as her attack didn’t quite hit the mark.

 

Of course, before it could abruptly hit the ground and burn the whole place along with them, the Phoenix managed to flap its wings on time to soften its landing along with dispersing the flames in its body.

 

So much for a skill attack, the redhead thought.

 

Laughing ridiculously, the humongous man shook his head, clicking his tongue in disappointment, “Oh my~ It’s a shame that you couldn’t beat me with that. It seemed like a very good attack, too,” he uttered with such smugness that Maki almost felt hopeless.

 

Almost.

 

The slight movement in her side made it otherwise so...

 

“Hah~ My dear Redhead, won’t you stop this?”, he twirled around in his spot, not noticing the shadow that emerged from his side ever so silently, “You attacks won’t go through my defenses and reflexes~ They’re top notch—”

 

Before he could continue, however, a hard, and quite possibly deadly, karate chop to his neck made him faint unnaturally fast, his immediately paralyzed body limply fell to the ground with a very loud thud.

 

Gulping down in nervousness, and slight relief, Maki stared at the one that managed to make the enemy fall. Of course, no one was with her other than the black-haired girl, which narrows in down to the shorter teen as the cause, “Mou, Nico-chan. If you considered doing that earlier, I wouldn’t have dealt with—?!”

 

Maki stopped, a blank expression present on her face when she saw Nico puking, literally emptying her stomach, at the small corner on the edge of the room, not bothering to listen to Maki’s reasons.

 

Hacking out the last of her appetite, the twin-tailed girl groaned in disgust, “Urg... I don’t feel so good... Guh...!”, she shivered in reflex as she refused to glance at the unconscious man on the ground, trying to focus on Maki.

 

On her face, specifically.

 

“At least I don’t get sick of looking at your pretty face all the time,” she uttered, half teasing and half truthfully speaking.

 

Though the redhead didn’t bother in believing her words, “I don’t even care anymore,” she raised both of her hands in defeat, walking out of the room without looking back.

 

Nico just grinned as she wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and followed Maki towards the exit of the room, not bothering on even giving the lifeless body they left behind a second glance.

 

Dismissing her Spirit Animal, the purple-eyed girl noted Nico’s presence behind her before asking, “Can you locate Nozomi now?”, although most of her thoughts are being pestered by the annoying voice of their opponent earlier, the tiny concern for Nozomi inside her was still present.

 

Shaking her head, the shorter girl scratched the back of her head, groaning, “Nope, my nose is still stuffed with the disgusting perfume of that... gay dude...”

 

Maki raised a brow at Nico’s hesitance on addressing the man, maybe because she was confused. So was Maki so she completely understood, “Is that so?”

 

Funny enough, Maki never did smell any perfume from the muscular man, much less her Spirit Animals. Perhaps it was because Nico had a much more sensitive nose than her.

 

But there was no use in dwelling on the thought. Right now, they’re on the pursuit of Nozomi. And if they can’t sense her, then she may be farther in the facility.

 

“Let’s hurry,” Maki commanded as the two began to run, their shoes thumping loudly across the halls as they sped up.

 

Not noticing someone emerge from the corner of a hidden room.

 

“Hmm... it seems like Aleister was right. The gas can only be detected by the Lone Savage,” a monotonous voice muttered lowly before a much more sinister tone came afterwards, “I guess it makes things a bit more complicated. But as long as the Werewolf stays petrified, everything will go according to the President’s wishes.”

 

Footsteps, metallic, slowly drifted away as the room became silent once more.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“You think your little pet can harm me?! I am more powerful than any opponent you’ve faced so far!”, the man in front of them declared as he threw away his hat, showing his face as half of it somehow turned out to be metal and his eye gleamed in a very dangerous red hue.

 

Umi was paralyzed on her spot when she saw the man’s face. She didn’t expect that, nor did she sense the foreign materials replaced on his anatomy. Potentially difficult, it could pose as a huge threat to them.

 

They weren’t informed about cyborgs being their enemy. They didn’t even think about the possibility of there being one.

 

Somehow, things just got more complicated than they already were.

 

But somehow, at the same time, Kotori didn’t seem to care about it.

 

“I have faith in my Spirit Animal,” the grey-haired teen called for her partner to stand on her finger, eyes softening at the sight of the little bird, “Size doesn’t matter to me. My partner will be a big help in this fight, in contrast to your belief,” she giggled to herself as she thought about her words being similar to what Lucas would’ve said if he was in her place.

 

He did rub off on her, in a good way, of course.

 

The red artificial iris of the man glowed more brightly than before, radiating a sense of anger towards them, and Umi could only guess that it was his irritation that showed off, “Are you underestimating me? You are, aren’t you?! I’ll show you!”, he outstretched his arms, the limbs breaking apart as they assembled into separate cannons, “This will kill you in an instant!”, he shot two powerful beams of electricity without any warning, causing the walls around them to react negatively and crack, the wires aimlessly swaying.

 

Nodding at her partner, Kotori smirked through the dilemma, “Let’s show him how we roll right now,” she said, the bird responding with a cheerful chirp as they looked straight ahead at the incoming attack, fear absent in their hearts.

 

And confidence overflowing within.


	42. Episode 41

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I’m pretty tired with this, but even though I really really don’t have any vision of its ending, I’m working on it. I dunno which fits really nice with the plot though. Also, I apologize but I may or may not be able to finish this story by the end of May. More or less, it may take me until early June to go around the last chapter. HOPEFULLY, I won’t need to work that much. 
> 
> Anyways, this one is also a bit rushed in my opinions. Since the ending is just about three or four chapters more, presume that proceeding chapters will become a bit jumbled and fast. 
> 
> Hahaha, alright. Just a few more chapters and the ending is near! Thank you for all the support! I can finally end the journey (hopefully). Enjoy~

“Kotori!”, as much as Umi liked to believe in the grey-haired girl’s change of view, seeing her being easygoing when a powerful attack is headed towards them makes her heart pound a million times worse than being in love, uncertain and horrified at what the girl might do.

 

She had faith, of course, but even so...

 

Hearing her name being called, Kotori glanced back for a second, smiling softly as she did, “Umi-chan,” she sweetly reassured her before looking back at what’s in front, straightening her posture, but with a slight wince when her injured shoulder was stinging a bit.

 

Nodding at her partner, she summoned a magic circle on her palm and pulled out a small dagger, about a foot in length with a silver hilt that had mysterious patterns along the edges. By the tip, strange markings were outlining the whole weapon that glowed with a prominent shade of green.

 

“You may not know this,” she said all the while running towards the attacker, the little bird flying by her side in the same speed as she did, “My dragon may be much more powerful, but...,” she readied the small weapon in her hand, raising it in the air, “...when it comes to speed—”

 

Kotori then made a slashing motion to the ground as the dagger hit the beam, surprising everyone conscious in the room to witness the miracle as the girl was left with nothing but her body in perfect shape, no bruises or burns whatsoever on her skin, save for the injury she sustained from earlier.

 

“—my little companion is the fastest beyond imagination,” she then proceeds to high five her Spirit Animal when the beam disintegrated like it didn’t even exist in the first place.

 

Gaping like a fish out of water, the bionic man shook, steam coming out from half of his body as he couldn’t believe his eyes, “Wha-What just—!”, shocks came out from his body, somehow alerting both Kotori and Umi as they immediately turned to look at him.

 

“G-G-G—Initiating—A-A—C-Combat—Disruption—”, he started mouthing gibberish that made the other two conscious, waiting for whatever was to come, “I-I-Initiating Combat Sequence,” all of a sudden, his red eye broke and was replaced by a glass monocle that lacked any color at all, but the metal parts of his body began to shift.

 

And then transformed into some sort of weapon, each deadly enough to get a kill in one hit.

 

Eyebrows creasing, Umi forced herself to brush aside her hair, trying to calm herself at all the proceeding events that took place. It was happening all too fast for her to even apprehend quickly. This is a very dangerous situation and both Honoka and Tsubasa are resting still. She and Kotori can’t handle this enemy alone without any much of a plan.

 

But the soft humming from the girl made her snap out of her train of thoughts.

 

Kotori was smiling—

 

‘Why...?’, shaking her thoughts, she tried to at least brush off the annoying voice in her head that told her how amazing Kotori’s voice was, even at a time like this.

 

It was distracting, but very calming.

 

At the chance, she’d realized what the girl was trying to do. What she was showing from the start. And Umi was too nervous to pick up on Kotori’s sudden eagerness in fighting.

 

She can’t handle it alone. She knows that, but she’s determined anyway.

 

Which is why she wanted Umi to calm down, to give her a message in between her lines that pointed out to having courage and fight without hesitation. That was the reason why Kotori seemingly faced their opponent fearlessly.

 

It was to give Umi a big push to make her stand up.

 

Enlightened by Kotori’s subtle hints, the bluenette let out a heavy breath she didn’t know was being held back on her throat. If her childhood friend kept on with this fiery determination she has right now, then Umi would have to get used to having practically two Honokas.

 

Which is definitely weird in every angle.

 

But nevertheless, she stood beside her, back straight and eyes directly upfront, the grey-haired girl beside her smiling with a beaming face, “Took you long enough~”, she nudged her teasingly in the elbow, making Umi chuckle in embarrassment as a light shade of pink dusted her cheeks.

 

“Sorry. My fear got the better of me, I couldn’t find the courage to move,” she confessed, lightly placing her palm on top of her left chest, listening to the now slower beating of her heart, “I suppose I just needed a little push from you. Though you didn’t have to be so vague about your intentions.”

 

The almost deadpanned voice that the bluenette used made Kotori chuckle heartily, “Sorry about that. I just thought you of all people can easily understand the meaning behind my words,” she airily waved her hand in the air for the little bird to see, making sure that the small creature was in a good condition.

 

Humming in understanding, the bluenette exhaled once more, releasing all the pent up tension in her shoulders as she lifted her elbow to be on the same height as her shoulder blade, summoning her falcon who eagerly nudges her neck as she did so, “I’m sorry to have made you believe my abilities in these types of situations, but I think we have more pressing matters to concern ourselves with.”

 

Seeing how the larger bird rested on the bluenette’s arm, Kotori’s Spirit Anima did the same on its partner’s unhurt shoulder, chirping happily as it fluttered its wings open in a very delighted way, making Kotori chuckle at how easygoing her partner is, no matter the situation.

 

That was the right state of mind that they needed in order to beat their opponent. They weren’t as humane as those that they’ve fought before, so the Government may certainly have something up their sleeve. If not to outsmart the foe, then they were willing to bet on the strength that metallic parts can give.

 

And the two girls can prove just how much better being purely human is. To protect Honoka and Tsubasa, they will do everything in their power to stop the enemy.

 

And they intend to do it with the help of their fellow bird friends.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Rin, can you still smell blood?”, Eli huffed out as they kept on running, the purple-scaled dragon behind them at an even pace as Nozomi was huddles up on its back, writhing in pain from all of the punches she received earlier in her fight.

 

Not only that, but somehow during the duration of it, she somehow got ahold of the mysterious core that was built on the cyborg she fought. Even though her life was at stake when she was punched through the ceilings, her curiosity overcame the danger as she commanded her Spirit Animal from below to sneakily snatch it from under the robot’s metal head.

 

Somehow, even from all the pain, she thought it was worth it before passing out.

 

But before going unconscious, she mentally prepared herself for the scolding she’ll receive from her childhood friend once she gets ahold of her mischief even at a situation as dangerous as that.

 

Hanayo kept stealing glances towards the purple-haired girl, worried that the girl might have been in a lot of pain, but her concern was also pulled at the thought of another friend being in danger as well. The blood that Rin smelled may be from one of them.

 

But she doesn’t hope for it, of course.

 

Sniffing out the area, Rin’s eyebrows furrowed when something else came up, “I... I can’t tell where it is nya!”, she frantically yelled when her head swished from left to right continuously, confused when the scent seemed to be coming from all over.

 

Both Hanayo and Eli were also affected as they can somehow smell a hint of blood from the whole place, as if the person bleeding was running around them.

 

The walls didn’t seem as thick as the one from the last room. If possible, it looked like it was ready to collapse at any given time if another earthquake suddenly occurs. The tremors from earlier may have already shook the whole surface of the wall to the point that one little aftershock can break it down.

 

As for the smell, it was already getting closer and closer, still going all over the place and already covering the room they were at.

 

And because of that, Rin had to summon her second Spirit Animal in hopes of helping her find out whoever was the cause of this. Or at least, help her figure out who’s blood it was.

 

But before they can utter another word, they were engulfed in a shadow, snatching them in one sweep as they screamed when all of a sudden, they weren’t on the floor. The room remained silent after that, the last sound coming from the warping of the black hole.

 

And then quietness quickly followed, traces of Eli and the others found nowhere near the site.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Brrrrrrr~ Did the temperature suddenly drop or something?”, Nico rubbed her arms to somehow help her warm up from the cold air that enveloped the whole floor.

 

Maki was affected by the shift of degrees as well, but she was fairing better than Nico as she walked through the hallway without trying to produce heat friction or the like. Mostly because her Spirit Animal is a Phoenix, which would most likely be warmer than any body heat they can conjure.

 

Though she was unaffected by it at most, she seemed much more concerned about something else, “Don’t you think it suddenly got darker?”, she asked in a hushed whisper, trying to glance all around to look for whatever was the cause of her suspicions.

 

Harshly slapping her cheeks to feel the burning pain, Nico woke up from her sleepy daze as the cool condition tried to rob her of her consciousness, “Not sure, this place is already giving me the creeps. Give me a break,” she sneered at the hallway, glaring at it like it was a person of hate and spite.

 

Sweat dropping at her companion’s usual antics, Maki only sighed and twirled a lock of her hair, switching her focus towards the suddenly darkening of the place, “I’m being serious here. I can barely make out the hallway,” she squinted her eyes at the end of the narrow corridor, confused when her eyes began to suddenly play tricks on her when the exit was changing positions and being all hazy.

 

Grumbling to herself, Nico snarled, “Whatever. Let’s just get over this and go,” she grabbed the other girl’s hand and forcefully dragged her towards the end, not bothering on looking back to see the redhead’s wide eyes and pained look.

 

“Ow—Hey, you’re hurting me!”, biting her lower lip, Maki furrowed her brows in frustration at the sudden shift of moods by the black-haired lycanthrope. ‘What’s going on with her? She’s acting the same way she was acting when we first met,’ she thought in her head, remembering how the shorter girl used to switch moods every other minute like everything was going back and forth rapidly.

 

She didn’t know what the cause was, whether the drop of temperature or the darkening of the room, but she can’t be sure enough so as to assume things.

 

Before she can ask the problem though, shadows from below suddenly sneaked past them and rose from behind to engulf the two girls in the dark matter.

 

Maki reacted as she glanced back, eyes widening as she tried to pry her hands off from Nico’s hard grip, “Nico-chan, behind—?!”, she didn’t manage to finish her sentence when she saw the other girl walk straight towards an open black hole, dragging her immediately in it afterwards.

 

And then the shadows left, leaving no trace of the two anywhere. As if they were eaten wholly and left nothing to spare.

 

The wind continued to blow, but the air felt warm, no longer cold and the place brightened up, somehow leaving it empty and no longer mysterious.

 

But the lingering clicks of metal from footsteps all the while remained, stopping when it witnessed the occurrence happen in front of it. A bright blue light emitted from its chest, glowing when the place started to crumble as an earthquake began to occur.

 

“They escaped... How troublesome,” the monotonous voice uttered before turning around and walking back the other way, the loud footfalls echoing across the hallway as the place started to collapse, the walls already falling apart as debris fell the the ceiling.

 

If anything, the old facility was falling apart. And the figure from before didn’t seem to care.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“I know you helped me to calm down but...,” Umi scratched her cheek, glancing away as she thought about her choice of words, “...do you have a plan?”, she muttered lowly, as if unsure about the question. Of course, with that much confidence, Kotori definitely has a plan.

 

Right?

 

Her positive outlook assured Umi, but the blank stare Kotori gave her after she asked her question made her hope fly away from her heart, “......You don’t have one...,” the bluenette said straightly, not inquiring even though she was unsure.

 

But with how Kotori had reacted, it would seem that she had never really considered how she was going to beat the opponent.

 

“W-Well, I just thought that my partner is enough since its speed defies the limits of how we move,” the grey-haired girl defends, laughing reluctantly as she leaned away from her friend, “A-And our determination to fight can definitely make us win!... I think...,” she hesitantly smiles, crooked and doubtful.

 

And it made Umi think about the times when Honoka would be the one on the receiving end of her berates. If anything, she’d say that Kotori was acting more like their airhead friend as of late.

 

It wasn’t such a bad change, but it certainly wasn’t a good one either.

 

But somehow, Umi’s heart was reassured.

 

“Then...,” she grabbed Kotori’s hand and linked them with her own, making the other girl’s cheeks flare in a light pink shade, “...we’ll fight with everything we’ve got. Together,” Umi stated, firmly and just, determination brimming in her eyes even when she shamelessly just did something to Kotori.

 

To someone she loved.

 

Forgetting how bold and assertive Umi suddenly became, Kotori nodded as she gripped their linked hands tighter, reassuring the other girl, “Yeah,” she nodded as they looked back at the clearly unstable android in front of them.

 

It didn’t seem to be aware of their conversation, seeing as it was more focused on the changes that his body was making. The weapons that suddenly formed were ready to go, filled with ammo and energy. Its now monochromic eye devoid of any light, but a small light could be visible just at the chest of the robot.

 

It was glowing in a light blue color, and the two girls certainly gained a clue as to how the enemy can be defeated just from that simple fact.

 

“Umi-chan!”, the grey-haired teen gave her hand a reassuring squeeze before she let go, nodding at her as if they were communicating with their eyes.

 

Sensing the other girl’s motive without so much as a word from her, the bluenette commanded her partner from her shoulder, “Can you do that?”

 

The falcon screamed loudly, taking flight from the girl’s shoulder as it flew up until it was barely an inch apart from the ceiling. Once it had set its eyes on the target, it then tucked its wings and swooped down, just like a rocket.

 

Sensing its fast approach, the cyborg immediately lifted an arm, shooting multiple guns and laser with it, all headed towards the incoming bird.

 

Dodging with precision, the falcon twisted and turned in the air as if it was dancing, causing the man to get subconsciously angry, steam coming out from its frustrated metal body.

 

“G-G-Initiating Death Ray Sequence,” it uttered as its whole arm suddenly shifted, getting rid of all the weapons that formed on it and, instead, changed into a single laser-like cannon. It was as big as a telescope, but the magic it was absorbing from the air made it look like something that can shoot past any barrier.

 

Gulping in nervousness, Umi released another deep batch of breath as she made eye contact with her partner, conveying their plan through their bond alone. For some, it may seem possible, but the fearless screech that the falcon made reassures the blue-haired girl that they were communicating properly, as if they were having a conversation through their eyes.

 

Ans it was naturally delivered, even the robot didn’t have a clue at their silent exchange.

 

After absorbing magical particles in the air, a large magic circle formed at the end of the cannon, glowing in a white light that then shot out towards the bird at blinding speed, as if it was a laser instead of a magic beam.

 

But even with the seemingly outmatched pace, the beam did not hit the falcon and, instead, pierced through the wall, making a hole that punctured every obstacle until it reached to a point where nothing was standing in its wake.

 

Back at the room, the falcon was no longer alone, but in terms of number, it had quadrupled and there were four of them, all of the exact appearance and movements, as if it had made a clone of itself.

 

In a sense, Umi had planned this from the start, knowing her partner’s abilities and such, using them to their advantage.

 

Seeing another failure on its attempt, the man was overheating once more and steam continued to seep out of its body, its black monocle twisting and turning, as if adjusting its lenses, “A-A-Malfunction—Body—Can’t hold on—Gah—!”, the bluish orb on its chest glowed even brighter, making the cyborg scream in pain and frustration, “S-S-Initiating Self Destruct Sequence.”

 

Once again, it’s monotonous voice returned, now plain and serious as its body went stiff and straight. All of its weapons began to shift and return to its normal body parts, now completely back to human form.

 

The orb on its chest spreads blue vector lines along its person, covering his whole body with the glowing lines. Once it had reached every inch of the iron anatomy, it switched from a bluish color to a dangerous shade of red, the plain monocle on its face now glowing in a bright red color.

 

Umi held another batch of breath as she seemed to be anticipating the explosion of the robot, now fully aware of what was to happen, but she only exhaled her stress away as she glanced at her partner, who had quadrupled in number, “On the count of three, I want to to carry Honoka and Tsubasa, alright?”

 

Understanding her command, the four identical clones nodded as they hovered down above said girls, readying themselves at their master’s signal.

 

“I-Initiating Countdown... Five... Four... Three...,” the metal body glowed, much more brighter than before, a sign that it will explode anytime soon.

 

The bluenette was on edge, trying to calm her nerves down as she waited for the next numbers to be said, gulping down as she did so.

 

“Two...”

 

‘One more...,’ she spoke underneath her breath, determined to execute their plan smoothly as possible.

 

“One...”

 

“Now!”, she yelled as she jumped onto one of the falcons, the other three grabbing ahold of the two unconscious girls as they fled away from where the robot stood, “Kotori!”

 

A response came from behind the ticking cyborg as Kotori waited for the signal, her little partner hovering beside her as it immediately began to strike first, flying past through the metal body without any glance.

 

At the speed of light, the monocle came off from the body, making it more dysfunctional than it already was. And it was time for Kotori to take it as her cue.

 

“Quasi Seal!”, she dashed through with her dagger, passing through the robot as if it were thin air, grabbing ahold of its core along the way. She then immediately jumped away and towards Umi as her attack left wind cutters slashing through the cyborg’s body, making it explode and breaking the walls as it did.

 

Surprisingly, its body parts were scattered through the floor and the whole ceiling was blown off, leaving no trace of life inside the whole building.

 

Including Kotori and the others.


	43. Episode 42

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I don’t feel good right now, maybe I got food poisoning or something because my stomahc is grumbling nonsense. Hahaha, it hurts though...
> 
> Anyways, sorry if it’s a bit of a rush. Just a bunch of talking here and there, maybe some romance(?). I mean, even though the end is near, I just like a bit of carefree attitude just before the fight. 
> 
> So, enjoy this. Haha, about two or three more! Fight!

“Ngh...”

 

Groaning in pain, Umi slowly opened her closed eyelids as she immediately blocked the ray of sunlight with the back of her hand, the stinging bright sunshine making it difficult for her to simply open her eyes.

 

Although she doesn’t really remember being in a place where sunlight can pour down on her. In fact, she realized that she was inside the old facility of the Government, which was not a place where the sun is welcome for the whole day.

 

Rubbing her eyes in hopes of helping them get used to the bright rays, the bluenette slowly rose up from her lying position, which was on the grass. It did provide comfort as much as it did give her confusion. If she were to remember, the building wasn’t one to have a grassland inside. So if she was laid on a patch of grass, it would only mean one thing:

 

She was outside of the complex.

 

Now fully aware of her surroundings, Umi sat up, opening her eyes to take a look at where she was exactly. If anything, just being outside doesn’t guarantee that she was still near the building. Worst case scenario, she would’ve been thrown into a different place entirely.

 

Which was not the case right now, fortunately.

 

She never did get a good look at where they were locked up in since the perpetrator brought them to the cell unconscious. She might mistake any old building as the one where they were kept prisoners in. And trusting how Kotori described their adventure to save them as the sole picture to what the place may look like, she gave her observation skills a try.

 

The land she was sitting on wasn’t far from the building she could spot a few feet away—well, the building that was in pieces, to be exact. The entire construction was completely wrecked, the supposed floors nowhere to be seen as it was left with the main floor of the framework.

 

But just the interior look gave Umi the idea that it was somehow familiar to what the inside of the building she was in earlier looked like. Thus, she safely assumed it was the same one they were held captive.

 

Speaking of they, once Umi realized she wasn’t really supposed to be alone at the moment, she frantically shook her head to gaze at her surroundings, seeing if she can spot any of her previous companions.

 

At arm’s length to her right lay Kotori, a bit battered but somehow sleeping peacefully. Beside the unconscious girl were Honoka and Tsubasa, still not waking up the slightest but they were in a much better condition than the grey-haired teen.

 

Sighing in relief, the bluenette placed a hand on her heart to steady her heartbeat, which somehow picked up its pace once she started panicking for her friends’ well-beings. Though the fact that her companions are alright, her thoughts were still rattled by the events that happened afterwards.

 

“If I remember correctly, we were...”

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

_“Umi-chan!”_

_The bluenette saw her childhood friend outstretch her arm towards her, trying to reach her hand. She was hovering in midair since her Spirit Animal was carrying her, forcing Kotori to immediately leap from her spot._

_Behind her was the silhouette of the cyborg that was about to self destruct, its blue core on its chest now on the clutches of the grey-haired girl as the wind cutters left by her attack spread through the surrounding area of the robot, rendering it unable to clarify its initial actions and proceed to exploding itself per command of its processor._

_Kotori tried to outstretch her arm as far as possible in order to reach Umi, but her effort wasn’t enough._

_Her sole push wasn’t, but with the help of the explosion, it gave her a little more force to finally get ahold of Umi’s hand._

_Of course, with the little price of taking damage from the massive detonation behind her, leaving tears across her shirt and a few burns of her skin here and there._

_But knowing how powerful the robot’s final resolve was, the bluenette knew that just getting a few burns on Kotori’s back weren’t the only damage they would sustain. It would possibly affect the whole building if she were to be certain, meaning that they were going to be in the middle of the catastrophe, whether they liked it or not._

_But before the burst could reach the four of them together, a shadow overlapped the space in between Kotori and the explosion, shielding them from the blast._

_In fact, Umi would have been grateful for the miracle if it didn’t seem like an intentionally bad thing on their end. Another wave of black shadows also rose from behind them, cornering them with nowhere to go. It might have saved them from the explosion, but it didn’t seem like something friendly overall._

_Nevertheless, before Umi could even comment on what it was, the shadows merged with them in the middle, forming a large cocoon that swallowed them and they disappeared from the scene, leaving the robot’s self destruction to only harm the poorly built construction._

_Nothing else._

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

__

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Ah... I’m pretty sure we were protected by that shadow... but...”

 

Lowering her hand to touch the grass, she furrowed her brows in utter confusion, “How did we end up outside...?”, she asked herself, subconsciously still caressing the grass beneath her as she looked around once more.

 

When a familiar blob or red struck her eye, she immediately reacted as she tried to make out the figure, lying on the same patch of grass somewhere just a few strides away, “Maki...?”

 

Just when she was about to question why her friend was there as well, another sore color stood out from the corner of her eye, a bright blonde ponytail that could only belong to another of her fellow acquaintances, “Eli as well... how...?”

 

Not really making sense of whatever predicament just happened to have them all in the same place, footsteps from behind her drew her attention away from her two friends as she readied herself from any form of contact from whoever is walking towards her.

 

As expected, a hand placed itself on her shoulder, making her flinch just from the touch. It was a man’s hand, no doubt with how rougher and bigger it was in texture and size alone, and goosebumps decided to crawl all over her skin, her nerves going haywire at the suspense.

 

“I see you’re the first to awaken,” a strangely familiar voice said from behind her, making her turn her head immediately as he started to talk, “Sorry about my magic. It must have unsettled you and the others, I bet. Don’t take it the wrong way though, it was the only thing I could come up with at the moment.”

 

Seeing Lucas, the Magician, behind her was quite a relief on her end. If she were to be asked, she was sure it would’ve been Aleister who had been behind her. So seeing the black-haired man calmed her nerves down a bit.

 

Don’t get her wrong, she was still a bit wary of the man. Not because she didn’t trust him yet, she does, just that she doesn’t know much about him, is all. Seeing Kotori change in terms of strength and courage made her realize just how much of an influence he was to her childhood friend.

 

She was jealous, slightly if not. But her gratefulness stood out so the prickling feeling on the back of her heart died out.

 

She was brought back to reality when a warm feeling on her shoulder was felt, Lucas’s hand glowing in a light grey color as a magic circle appeared in between his palm and her shoulder, “You must be tired from everything that has been transpiring. My little knowledge in healing magic may at least lift up some of your weariness, but it will do no more than that,” the man released his hold and gently massaged her back, somehow making her feel light and lifting the weight on her shoulders.

 

Feeling comfortable from his magic touch, Umi sighed in relaxation as he continued with healing her, as well as taking away some of her stress. It would’ve been heaven for the bluenette if they weren’t on a mission to defeat Aleister.

 

Halfway through the medication, the long-haired teen closed her eyes as she leaned into his massage, trying to relieve as much stress as she could to make her ready for any enemies coming for them.

 

But for now, the enemy she was about to face was jealousy itself.

 

“What are you two doing?”

 

Jumping from her position, Umi turned her head to look at the one who spoke, sweat trickling down her face as she gulped down to prepare for reasoning, “U-Uh, Kotori! You’re awake! Are you okay?”, truth be told, she was mostly worried for the grey-haired girl, but a part of her just wanted to avoid being interrogated.

 

After all, the accusing look that Kotori gave her was very scary.

 

Humming in response, golden orbs looked at the bluenette with doubtful eyes, but she said none. Then she glanced at Lucas, who somehow had this weird smirk on his face. Dare she say, it was like he knew something but didn’t show it.

 

And it unnerved her.

 

So instead of inquiring further, she proceeded to hug Umi upfront, hugging her tightly in her arms as she glared at the man, who looked at them amusingly. Umi on the other hand, caught off guard by the sudden gesture of her crush, had gaped at the girl as her face became flushed in a deep red color.

 

“Just so you know, I’m not giving Umi-chan to anyone just because I haven’t confessed,” Kotori straightly admitted with puffed cheeks, still a bit mad with how Lucas seemed to approach Umi.

 

The bluenette, however, was almost about to faint. She was being hugged protectively by Kotori, and now she practically just confessed that she also loved her, indirectly and unintentionally. Their feelings were mutual yet the grey-haired girl just admitted the fact out of the blue so casually that it almost made Umi die in happiness.

 

Almost.

 

Chuckling at how childish Kotori was acting, Lucas just stood up as he brushed aside his stray hair from his face, “I’m frightened with the lengths you will go for your first love. But please don’t confuse my intentions. Sad to say, I’m not really infatuated with anyone at the moment,” he simply shrugged without so much as a care to what he said.

 

Kotori still doesn’t believe his words, but she accepted them somewhat, “Fine. But Umi-chan’s mine, okay? Hands off,” she then pulled the poor girl towards her own, hugging her closer as she slightly narrowed her eyes at the man.

 

Laughing out loud, Lucas clutched his stomach with how funny he was seeing things, “Yeah, okay. I’ll abide to that,” he giggles as he wiped off the tears of joy forming by the corner of his eyes. The way Kotori acted was exactly how he had depicted when he taught her to have more confidence. She wasn’t even flustered with how bold she was being to the poor blue-haired girl.

 

But it was amusing to him, so he let it go. After all, he was somehow at fault to why Kotori was acting this way, so in a sense, his resignation to the topic is some sort of penance.

 

Though in a way, it somehow helped the two girls in getting together. If they do manage that.

 

A grunt from the side made their heads turn to look at whoever made that noise. The unconscious blonde groaned and slowly lifted herself up from the grass, the other three looking at her with raised eyebrows and wide eyes. And although she felt a great discomfort from all the stares, Eli somehow sensed that they were more surprised than curious.

 

Rubbing her head to rid it off of any blades of grass, the blonde glanced back at the three, heaving out a sigh when she saw who they were, “Umi! Kotori!”, she waved her hand in joy when the thought that they were finally together had passed by. She carefully stood up from where she was lying and moved to give the two a hug.

 

Of course, Umi and Kotori awkwardly removed themselves from each other, Umi mostly. Half reason was because of embarrassment. The other half was because... well...

 

She was rather reluctant to let go.

 

In any case, the they were happy to see that they were all safe now, so when Eli finally got a peek at Lucas, she was a bit startled. She wasn’t that familiar with the Magician yet, but his presence seem to put them at ease so she managed to utter a sincere “Thanks” to him.

 

Looking at her confusingly, Umi asked, “Why are you thanking him?”, she narrowed her curiosity down to a thought. If something happened between them, then it made it all the more reasonable to be thanking him. Then again, the look that Eli gave him means that she was a bit wary of the man.

 

If anything, her giving thanks to him was very strange indeed.

 

So when Lucas had heard the blonde’s words, he hid back a chuckle with him open palm, “Ah, you realized that? I know it’s a bit sudden, but that was the only way to save you all from the explosion,” he explained, making Umi all the more curious.

 

“Save us?”, muttering it over and over in her head, the bluenette can make out a possibility. But if anything, she’d rather he responds with the reason rather than concocting a few possible situations that would’ve happened.

 

Nevertheless, even when Lucas knew how Umi picked up on the subject, he still told the answer anyway, “The shadows that all engulfed you were my doings, actually. I couldn’t get a full grasp on all of you at the same time so teleporting to your locations individually would take up too much time and effort. So I thought having to just summon the shadows with my magic can make the job easier and more efficient. Although I can say that it might’ve caused a bit of distress on your ends.”

 

Realizing that her conclusion was correct, she felt relieved to hear that it was his doing, after all, “I see. Then in that case, you have my thanks as well,” she bowed her head a bit along with her gratitude, which Lucas reciprocated with a small nod of his own.

 

Bit by bit, the others slowly started to regain consciousness as well. Mostly Rin and Honoka who were both as enthusiastic as if it was any normal day. Both Maki and Hanayo opted to just smile at their reunion, although they knew how happy they were to finally be together after such tiring advents.

 

The only ones left to open their eyes were Nico, Nozomi and Tsubasa. Of course, given that the latter two might still be recovering, the black-haired girl’s condition was making Maki a bit worried.

 

“I’ll take a look at her,” Lucas offered as he gently knelt down beside Nico, placing his hand on her forehead to check her temperature, along with the soft glow of his hands for a good measure, “So far she’s stable... but...”

 

He can’t put his finger on it, but something doesn’t stick right with what he was feeling while rummaging through Nico’s body condition.

 

And although he hardly did anything other than slowly regenerating her energy, the girl’s eyes opened curiously, staring blankly above and doing no more movements that could confirm her condition.

 

Surprised, Lucas withdrew his hand and asked instead, “Nico?”, not that he was concerned for her health, but more so on her behavior. Her constant glaring at the sky seemed out of character for her so he needed to make sure if she was really fully conscious.

 

She didn’t answer, and although she can detect what he was saying, her body doesn’t cooperate. If anything, her brain doesn’t send any messages to her body, making her practically paralyzed in her state.

 

Sensing how this might be a very serious problem, Lucas once again placed his hand on her forehead, trying to push his healing prowess on her body in hopes of making her at least say or do anything. Anything at all.

 

But by anything, he didn’t think of her negating out his attempt on healing her.

 

“What’s wrong with her?”, the redhead was sure that Nico acted the same way when they were facing the muscular man from earlier. But she was sure that Nico acted that way because she was disgusted by his looks.

 

Although she may have been paralyzed on the spot, it made her seem like someone who’s soul died because of disappointment.

 

Now, though, just proved to her that whatever made her go blank earlier was the same cause as what was happening to her right now.

 

Humming in deep thought, the man closed his eyes in concentration, “Suppose we say that Nico’s blocking out my attempt on easing her condition,” he then looked at everyone altogether, “What do you think is wrong with her?”, he questions.

 

Normally, they wouldn’t happen to just know something as vague as that, anything specific may help but a lot of illness are still unknown. Maki was the only one to come up with an opinion, at least, “There may be foreign substances on her body that reacts negatively to magic, or she subconsciously tried to push out your power at her own will,” though she may believe that the former is more appropriate at this moment.

 

“That’s right. Meaning that something in the air is somewhat affecting Nico, and only Nico,” told Lucas.

 

Both Eli and Umi were surprised. Not only did he bring out that conclusion quickly, he also seemed confident in it as well. There are a lot of possibilities with why Nico could be like this, but he concluded with something as if he can sense that it was the correct answer.

 

And it made them more astonished at the man. He was the real deal, after all.

 

But before they could even probe for more explanation, a voice came from above them, making them all pause from their positions.

 

“You catch on quick. As expected of the Magician,” the figure above them clapped its hands as it said so monotonously, then holding out some kind of concoction on its hands, “It seems that only the Savage can smell this though. But it is enough. After all, one less problem takes a load off of our plans.”

 

A chuckle was then heard from behind them, seeing Aleister dressed in a pleated black suit with his crazy smirk placed on his face, “Having that wolf stuck on her own little world means one step for me to reaching my goals,” he strutted towards them, magical balls forming on his palms.

 

Everyone was too overwhelmed by how they appeared right out of the blue. Either that or they were here the whole time, but whatever the case was, things weren’t looking good for them.

 

Today may as well be cursed, but somehow, they’ll make it through.

 

Maybe.


	44. Episode 43

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I’m back in tip-top shape and ready to get to work! Took me a while to make this chap, but it was satisfying to make because at least half the time I was doing it made me somehow motivated to finish this with a bang! You know what I mean?
> 
> And for those who were concerned about me getting sick, I’m alright. Haha, it was definitely from the food I ate, and it disappeared longer than when it appeared so it made it difficult for me to make this. But I lived through it, and I made another chapter! 
> 
> I always read the comments. So even when I’m not replying, know that I read every single comment here and I get happy everytime someone does a comment on my story. I’m sorry if I don’t reply, I’m not the talkative type, but know that your comments make me work harder on this story! It’s my only inspiration, apparently! Hahaha!
> 
> Anyways, thanks for the support! Enjoy this!

The lukewarm sensation of the atmosphere earlier dissolved and was now turned a disastrous breath of calamity going on in the world. And it was only by the power of Aleister's twin spheres on his hands. The corruptive energy coming from those orbs were obliterating the surrounding areas and blowing away every solid object, no matter the size, in midair like they were weightless and gravity never existed.

 

The girls, at least the conscious ones, along with Lucas wore distraught expressions as they witnessed the slow destruction of the world around them. Even though it was only caused by Aleister's supposedly strong magic, they can't help but think that the previous encounters with him were just warm ups for him. His strength right now almost lifted up the ground they were stepping on, and even though they were just assumptions for now, they feared that it might as well be true anyway since it was highly inevitable.

 

Not to mention, another figure was standing above them. With how it spoke earlier, some of them realized that it was another robot under Aleister's command. Not only did it settle a bad feeling on their stomachs, it made them think about how they managed to defeat their previous cyber opponents. It wasn't easy, even though they outnumber them.

 

And now, a cyborg and Aleister working together. The unsettling feeling in their stomachs were making them feel uneasy about the current situation, not to mention the growing despair of the Earth.

 

It wouldn't be fine to say that this was a very fair fight in the beginning. Even though they clearly outnumber the enemy, they were rather out of steam. Some of them are also unable to join in the fight. Most importantly, their gap power and experience was on a whole other level.

 

At least, for the girls, it was.

 

"I entrust you with taking down the android," all of a sudden, Lucas uttered to them with this mixture of hesitation and excitement in his voice. Naturally, all heads turned to look at him weirdly, so he clarified even further, "I will take care of Aleister. I am, after all, somehow the root of this disaster," he then shook off his coat, leaving him with just his white dress shirt and slacks, along with his black shoes, "It is only natural that I will be the one to end it."

 

If Nico was conscious, she'd most definitely smirk at him and just brush off his attitude, he thought. It brought a smile to his face though, so he felt even better as he stepped forward to shield the girls from the calamity Aleister's power was bringing out to the world.

 

Thinking that rejecting his suggestion was too late, Umi and the others had no other choice but to simply nod at his decision and face the other enemy above them.

 

The figure didn't seem like it had any intention of going down, so most likely it would be a battle in the sky. Umi and Maki both have Spirit Animals that fly, and Eli's nine tailed fox can levitate, so the three of them would definitely fight while in midair.

 

Although Kotori can join in on the fight as well, her body refused to acknowledge her request on summoning her Spirit Animals. Her last attack was rather draining, and the explosion colliding behind her didn't help ease her pain. So she stayed behind and had Hanayo heal her for the time being.

 

Both Honoka and Rin were anxious and itching, literally, to join in on the raid, "Mou~! I didn't get to help Kotori-chan and Umi-chan earlier, so I thought for sure that this time, I can fight!", the older one whined.

 

The younger of the two nodded with puffed cheeks, "I agree nya! It's so unfair!", she stomped her foot on the ground, displeased with the situation.

 

The bluenette sighed at their antics, "You two... The circumstances right now are crucial, yet you're both acting like children," she rubbed her temples at the childish attitude that the two were showing. It wasn't like she never got used to them before, but with how grave the situation is, she was awed to even find them caring less about the danger.

 

At least it reassured her that they wouldn't panic, but it wasn't any less worrisome, however.

 

Maki followed her example, narrowing her eyes at the two ginger heads, "I'd appreciate it if you two just do what you think is best, not whine like babies," she said before the two headed off towards the sky, apologizing for making Eli wait for them.

 

While the Soldier Game Trio was facing the robotic enemy, Kotori gazed at the two sulking girls beside them, giggling as she did, "Even though we're in a crisis, you two act like nothing's changed huh?", though she was playful with her tone, there was a softness in her voice.

 

And Hanayo noticed this, but she returned to focusing on healing her body.

 

Grumbling without a care, Honoka pouted, "Well, yeah, but I wanna help in saving the world, you know? I've been a burden, so I wanna be of use right now," she muttered, but with their heightened senses, it wasn't surprising that all of them heard it.

 

Rin nodded at Honoka's words, "Me too nya... I want to protect Kayo-chin from those evil guys!," she declared, not noticing how it flared up Hanayo's cheeks in a heartbeat.

 

Kotori only smirked at them, though, and stood up from her spot, making Hanayo look up to her in worry, "Don't worry, I'm fine now. I'll be helping with the assault," she reassured the brunette as she motioned for the other two unconscious ones and the paralyzed Nico, "They need more medical attention, which is why you shouldn't waste your time on me."

 

She then summoned her dragon partner, the white beast howling in the air as it hovered just above the ground to wait for Kotori. But before she rode on the creature, she looked at the sulking two, "Didn't Maki-chan say that you guys just do what you think is best?", she clues them in before hopping onto her Spirit Animal as it roared before soaring into the sky, heading straight for the enemy.

 

Blinking at Kotori's words, Rin and Honoka looked at each other weirdly, "Do what you think is best/nya?", they blurted out loud at the same time, in deep thought as they did. Although they may be slow at catching up to things most of the time, the efforts that they output afterwards make up for everything.

 

That, in any way, is a strength that those two definitely pass on.

 

Somehow, even when the thought is as clear as day along the lines, both Honoka and Rin are still in the middle of thinking about the meaning behind Maki's words.

 

And this was making Hanayo even more nervous than she thought. So by the time she had focused on healing Nozomi and Tsubasa at the same time, she looked at the two troubled girls with a soft expression, "I think Maki-chan was saying that... even though you can't join them with fighting the enemy in the sky, you may be able to do something here," she tells them.

 

And for once, Hanayo was sure that even she had matured during this hell of a journey. With everything going on, she was shocked to even find herself uttering such deep words without being flustered.

 

It may as well be the reason why she has so much faith that they will pull through in this situation. She was sure of it.

 

Glancing at Hanayo, Rin and Honoka glanced at each other one last time before they broke out into a fit of laughter. And although their reaction was surprising in itself, Hanayo didn't seem to be fazed by the suddenness, "I think I get it now," Honoka hyped herself up and gave Rin a reassuring grin.

 

The cat-like girl mimicked her reaction, making them look like two kids grinning at each other as if they had a brilliant idea together, "Me too nya! Let's go show them who they're messing with!", she then pumped her fist in the air, Honoka doing the same thing.

 

And as overjoyed Hanayo was at them for finally understanding the redhead's meaning, she felt like a parent who found her children motivated in their activities.

 

And she was proud of them for that.

 

Sort of.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outnumbering an enemy doesn't always guarantee victory, Eli thought to herself cautiously. They may have the conviction to fight their way, but the enemy might as well be as strong as Aleister himself, assuming since he is somehow acting as a partner to the mastermind of the Earth's continuously slow destruction.

 

Although the blonde didn't experience having to fight a robot as an enemy, Umi seems to have an idea. So she asks her for some pointers, "Is there some sort of weakness to them?"

 

The bluenette heard her but didn't answer as quick as she did, "Well, we did managed to beat one, although it was mostly because it was about to self destruct," she thoughtfully concluded, adding another reply, "He was a formidable opponent, but he seemed unstable, unlike this one, so I'm fairly unable to give any weak spots."

 

Gulping down a nervous breath, Eli glanced back towards the cyborg. It was pretty calm and collected, much like how Aleister seemed to be when they first saw him. Though his emotionless mind was the reason, it didn't stop them from being intimidated.

 

Maki, on the other hand, just narrowed her eyes at the robot. Similar to Eli, she too didn't have the experience to fighting and android along with Nico. But the muscular man they fought seemed strong enough to make Nico blank out in the middle of their fight.

 

Right?

 

Rather, if anything, she was actually curious about something. From the start, sure, that muscle head's appearance was a drawback, but it didn't seem like it was enough to even put Nico in a state of shock. More like, her reaction was very much out of the line in that situation.

 

After she was mobile again, she said something about an odor of some sorts from their opponent. And Maki was a hundred percent positive she never smelled anything coming from the man.

 

But she did detect a strange scent from behind them. Though she just shrugged the thought since it may just have been a passing scent from somewhere.

 

But when she heard what the cyborg said earlier about a concoction which only Nico can smell, she was sure. She was absolutely positive about her deduction.

 

"You... drugged Nico earlier, right? When we were fighting one of your men...," she hesitantly tried to confirm her suspicions, and although she was sure that their enemy wouldn't answer, she gave it a try anyway.

 

To her surprise, though, the robot did reply to her question, "Oh? So you can detect the scent of the drug then?", although the tone of its voice was still lacking any emotions, it did carry a very disturbed pitch, "Unexpectedly, the dismissal of its odor wasn't perfect and as such can be detected by even the sense of any caliber."

 

The android brought out the vile with the drug in it, showing it to the three for their eyes to see, "Indeed, I have used this earlier, as you had deducted. And although I did not expect for you to evaluate the circumstances on such a short notice, I applaud you for your cleverness," it mocked monotonously, much more unnerving than the norm, if they admit so.

 

Eyes widening, Maki gritted her teeth, "So I was right...," she never really minded how Nico acted earlier, although her frequent change of moods did give her suspicions. But she brushed if off as just her regular fleeting twists of emotions and as such, she let it be.

 

But the lingering thought about something out of place kept her suspicions awake, and to this time, she still thought about it. And now that it was confirmed to be the truth, she felt relieved.

 

And a bit angered.

 

"I see... And here I thought Nico was just being her usual self from the first time I met her...," she muttered, subconsciously glancing towards the black-haired girl staring blankly at the sky without a care in the world, "So she was drugged, huh..."

 

Even in a situation like this, feeling sympathetic was the last thing she'd feel. But then again, she felt a lot of things when it comes to Nico, so it wasn't as faltering as much that she was caring for the black-haired girl even while the enemy is standing in front of them.

 

Though her relief from having sustained results from her suspicions gave her all the strength she needs to compensate for her fellow friend.

 

'Probably more than that...,' the redhead secretly corrects herself with a slight tint on her cheeks.

 

Nevertheless, it didn't stop her from giving the enemy a victorious grin, "I think I'm reassured now. I don't have to hold back because of any lingering thoughts," she gave her two other comrades a determined look, giving them some of her boosted confidence to fight.

 

And it worked, to some extent.

 

Surprised to see Maki's expression, the other two glanced at each other once before making the same determined look.

 

"Looks like Maki-chan's inspired."

 

The trio glanced behind them, not expecting someone else to be up there with them. Surprisingly, it was Kotori who followed, riding on her dragon as she sported a face full of faith and trust in everything, "Why don't we show him just how strong we are?"

 

Of course, what with how much surprises already came up, it didn't add Kotori's suddenly upbeat attitude in fights. So without any delay, the three nodded at her before they all faced their opponent.

 

Still upholding a blank stare, the bionic android chose to proceed with using magic, not even giving them a chance to react when he made four magic circles appear in front of them and shooting violent lasers to their direction.

 

But they had the help of their respective partners, so even without any dodging reflex, they were safe from the first attack.

 

"I wouldn't expect anything less from Spirit Animals, and it is to be expected that you all can counter my attacks as you have come far enough from the bottom," the robot shrugged as he snapped his fingers, multiple magic circles forming behind him as they produced what appeared to be laser cannons, "Though I regret to inform you, I never show mercy in any fight."

 

With another snap of his fingers, all of the armed weapons fired at them, shooting wide beams that penetrated even the thickest of barriers.

 

But they weren't as close than the previous ones, so the four managed to actually react from it. They dodged each one heading straight at them with precise judgment and even managed to converse in the middle of the onslaught.

 

"So what's the plan?!", Eli shouted, thinking that the other three wouldn't be able to hear from all the lasers. And because they were all moving speedily to avoid any hits from landing, they weren't exactly stable enough to hold an actual understandable exchange of words.

 

"Split up! It would be best if we were to not stay in one place," Umi commanded with authority as the other three nodded immediately and scattered, making the cannons hit anything but them.

 

Raising an eyebrow, the enemy clapped his hands, stopping the assault in a heartbeat, "Impressive. But not enough," with another flick of his finger, magic circles appeared around him, now facing every direction possible so as to hit any angle possible, "I can attack in a multidirectional pattern. Scattering won't be a problem for me," he told them coolly.

 

Although momentarily they were frozen in place, they had a passive thought that might actually help them in avoiding a critical situation such as this.

 

So when all of the lasers shot towards them, they all evaded them with ease, much more fluidly than when they were all together in a single area. They didn't give much effort into dodging the incoming attacks, making them reserve energy as much.

 

Mouth opening in astonishment, the enemy stopped firing his cannons, not believing how they found a fault in his attempt on taking the upper hand, "You all... avoided my lasers... even though they were scattered to aim at every space considered in my calculations...," he uttered in a dangerously low monotone voice, a slow clicking being made inside his body.

 

Umi was the one who answered his frustration, noticing how somethingg within him changed, "Unlike before, though, we didn't have to worry about consuming too much space. We are free to move as much as we like without worrying about our distance with the others," she then readied herself, trying to make sense of whatever she felt wrong about the cyborg.

 

It wasn't something that sounded like a fault, she thought. Rather, it may be a switch of some sort, but without any proof about her predictions, she'd rather wait and see to know whatever happened with him.

 

The others seemed impassive about her idea, except Kotori, who had experienced having to fight a robot and knowing how it acted based on their fight earlier. Deep down, she was glad that at least Maki and Eli didn't have to worry about anything, but it also made them ignorant to any possible outcome that may pop up from out of nowhere at any given time.

 

Not responding to how Umi answered his question, the robot kept his surprised expression, not moving from his current position. The lack of words from him made the four tense up, but only half of them were wary about any malicious intent in his taciturnity.

 

And although they were wary, the sense of having a dreadful encounter passed them, giving them even more reasons to worry.

 

But what they didn't expect was how straightforward the robot was with his intentions, "Ah... My calculations weren't perfect then...," he muttered with an even tone of voice, expression changed to being stoic and serious, "Then I have no choice but to resort to my final order."

 

Eyes widening, Umi and Kotori felt another sense of dread, danger levels rising as they fidgeted, "Final... order...?", the bluenette cautiously said, confused yet prepared for what was about to happen.

 

The robot, without any alarm, opened his chest, the metal anatomy opening its lid and showing what seems to be a glowing blue orb with energy stored inside it.

 

Kotori's eyes widened, 'That's...!'

 

Her thoughts were stopped when the robot continued with his words, "While I'd rather give you more time to frustrate yourselves with fighting me, it seems that eliminating all of you here would make quite a giant step towards our goals," with a quick snap of his fingers, the crevasses on his body glowed in an array of the same bright blue, giving of a sense that he would be dismantling himself.

 

And although Maki and Eli both know that it would be meaningless to fight them in broken and separate parts, Umi and Kotori knew better and stood alertly, finding a fault to this as much as they can to end it.

 

But he didn't give them much options to make.

 

"Apparently, my final order was to break myself apart, triggering what seems to be the lock for my body, a massive grenade built for the destruction of humanity," the robot shrugs effortlessly as his body grew apart bit by bit, "I was told to use this when people are more bothersome than what I am taught, but I suppose it would appeal even better to Aleister if I were to carelessly waste myself and drag some of his burdens along with me."

 

With four pairs of eyes widening at his emotionless words, the inevitable was about to be seen when the blue light engulfed the cyborg wholly, glistening in the soft glow that contrasts to its purpose.

 

"The explosion my death would cause reaches to more than half of the continent. And while Aleister may be able to protect himself from it, I doubt you and your team would survive," he adds before going into a blank state, initiating his countdown before the girls could remember how to breathe.

 

"Half the continent...?", Eli mutters in distraught, cold sweat trickling down her forehead as her eyes widened in fear.

 

The other three mimicked her expression and emotion, and the thought about the end passing through their minds were making things harder for them. If this was the end, then perhaps their efforts were all for nothing after all.

 

They had lost hope at that time.

 

They couldn't bother Lucas as he was occupied by Aleister. And both were probably too immersed in their own fight to even notice the change of tides.

 

Hanayo and the others on the ground may not even notice that they were all going to die. And not even a minute left to live.

 

How fast things happened.

 

How fast indeed.

 

Because when they saw a silhouette pass by the robot in a flash, their imminent death was spared as the explosion didn't come, and the cyborg fell apart as his attempt on self destruction caused his body to dismantle, leaving him falling to the ground, now without a conscious to even notice his failure.

 

Surprised by the sudden turn of events, the four girls in the air turned to look at whatever just saved them from their apparent death. And if anything was more sudden than this, there may be a chance that they would pass out at any given moment.

 

But when they saw the orange-furred cat land on its feet perfectly on the ground, the breaths they were holding seemed to just subconsciously released themselves. Not only that, the cat seemed to carry the blue orb that the robot previously had, the reason why he had failed to even proceed with self destructing from the start.

 

So when they finally realized who owns said cat, their eyes followed it to its partner, a smile growing on their faces when they figured out who their saviors were.

 

On the ground, Honoka could be seen with Rin as they both high fived each other. Honoka's Spirit Animal, the brown bear, had its arm outstretched to the air, probably the reason how the cat got so high up in the first place. Speaking of the feline, it went back to purr at its partner and gave her the blue orb that the robot once had.

 

"Oooiiii! We managed to beat him, right?!", Honoka's shout seemed to echo across the valley, giving them no choice but to hear it from a distance to the sky.

 

And Rin followed suit, "Yeah nya! We did it even though we couldn't fly like you guys!", whether it was boasting or not, they had the right to brag about their success.

 

After all, they saved their lives and countless others. Perhaps giving them the short end of the straws made it seem impossible for them to accomplish anything in the situation. Clearly, this fight proved them wrong.

 

And they deeply regret having the chance to neglect their potentials.

 

And with that out of the way, only one person stood in between them and the freedom they wish to attain.

 

One more left to beat, and Aleister will get what he deserves.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to say that the hardest part for me in writing this story is the fight scenes. Because most fight scenes are short, I get it because the words are fast and for those who read fast tend to miss out on most of the actions. People like me who mostly scans while reading have a hard time on trying to repeat the same paragraphs just to understand what happens. So if someone has any trouble reading, I really apologize for the rushes. I’m really really excited that this story can finally reach an ending, so hence having rushed chapters. But two or three more to go and this will be it. 
> 
> Again, I’m sorry for the rush! If you have any problems, just say anything. I may be able to adjust. Hahaha!
> 
> See you next time!


	45. Final Battle Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! I don’t know if this chapter is within your expectations, but it’s kind of hard to think of ideas that would be good for an ending. I’m pretty bad at endings of a story, so I’m not too sure if this is good. But I’m aiming to at least finish this so if you have anything to say, please say it. I want to be criticized. Hahahahah! Possibly because I’m a masochist at heart, but I want to know what you all think.
> 
> The next chapter would probably be the end. And while it would seem rushed, I will try to make an ending that can at least give me some closure with this story.
> 
> So hoping that you will like this chapter, please read!

When all four girls finally landed on the ground, they gave Honoka and Rin a pat on the back for doing a good job. Maki, who was the one to give them a clue about what they should do before, took their help to her heart, “Nice work,” she said.

 

And even though they knew how they would react, they couldn’t help but go along when they both puffed out their chests and smirked as widely as they could, “Right?! I mean, even though we don’t have partners with wings, we still managed to help!”, Honoka gave them a thumbs up with her signature grin.

 

Rin gave hers as well afterwards, “Yeah nya!”, and they both patted each other on the back while laughing merrily in their pride as the game changers of the fight.

 

Somehow, being perceptive even at a time like that, Umi couldn’t help but ask, “One question though. How did you two know how to stop him?”

 

If anything, they would’ve expected them to both answer at the same time. Even saying “Just a coincidence” would make them believe it as just a lucky guess.

 

But when the two stopped their joyful interactions and stared at faraway places, they were aware that somehow even though the two worked things out with the battle, they didn’t seem that tactical enough to even initiate a plan that was successful the first time.

 

With their refusal to answer the bluenette’s question, Kotori just giggled at how they nervously avoided eye contact, knowing fully who helped them in the end, “I suppose Nozomi’s feeling better now then?”, was her soft mutter, glancing at her friend who sat upright on the ground, contorting slightly as she had an arm wrapped around her stomach.

 

When she heard her name being spoken by a very familiar tone, the purple-haired girl glanced at Kotori and gave her a small grin, not even hiding the pain slowly creeping up on her face.

 

“I woke up not too long ago, but the situation was in desperate need of my wisdom so I couldn’t help but give Honoka and Rin my theories on stopping him,” she chuckled as she remembered how they were surprised to find her sitting up when she had sustained major injuries that could take at least weeks to heal, but before they could even give her concerned words, she cut them off with her plans on a countermeasure for their victory.

 

And it left a bad impression on those who were unable to witness how she had given more attention to their battle more than her own condition. Eli mostly, who seemed angry at Nozomi’s lack of self awareness, “You shouldn’t be moving around, least of all sitting up when your stomach is in pain,” and although the bleeding on her head stopped, it didn’t stop the blonde from getting worried about her.

 

If anything, she was trying to make her rest and leave the fighting to the ones who are in tip-top shape.

 

But she was surprised when Nozomi only giggles at her concern, “Elicchi, I know that you’re worried, but giving me a cute face while saying I should rest makes me feel guilty about trying to help,” and even when Eli got a massive blush on her face, she never apologized.

 

Nor did she stop there.

 

“Besides, this will be the final battle. Let me at least lend some of my remaining strength or I’ll be filled with regrets about not being capable of helping you with this fight,” she utters with a soft voice, no teasing nor any mischief in it.

 

Just a sincere confession.

 

And it made everyone sigh in defeat, thinking that fighting her would only fuel her persistence. So more or less, they just let her do whatever she wants in order to help.

 

As long as it doesn’t require for her to take any life risking actions, then Eli can oblige to her strong will.

 

“Alright then, now that that’s out of the way, we need to help out Lucas in pushing back Aleister,” Nozomi changed her tone to a more serious one, making the atmosphere dimmer and tense, “There’s no telling what he has up his sleeves, and it’s obvious that he hasn’t shown his full capabilities during our previous encounters with him, so all the more reason to be alert when facing him.”

 

Umi agreed, “We can’t let Lucas handle everything by himself either. So we need to give our all in this fight,” she raised her arm to let her falcon perch on her shoulder, smiling when her partner seemed ready to fight one last time.

 

Kotori grinned at the bluenette as she nuzzled her dragon by its chin, making it grumble it delight so as to not make it stress from all the fighting, “Let’s give it everything we’ve got, partner,” she utters to her Spirit Animal, having it stand up proudly and letting out a massive roar that at least rustled most of the surrounding trees.

 

Slightly amused at Kotori’s actions, Nozomi let out her dragon as well, softly brushing her fingers through its rough skin in affection, “Help them in this fight, will you?”, she asked it, to which it nodded without any complaints and rushed to the other dragon’s side.

 

Maki’s Phoenix flared above her while Eli’s fox swished all of its tails in the air in recognition of their determination. Honoka gave her large Spirit Animal a pat on the back with Rin seitching her cat for her tiger as she gave it reassuring grins.

 

Hanayo felt that she also needed to give her support on this so with a tired sigh, she summoned her Spirit Animal, the white lion brushing its head along the meek girl’s neck, its silver fur tickling her skin as the golden streaks made her comb her hand through the thick fur, “I want you to accompany Rin-chan, okay? Protect her,” was her silent command.

 

Affectionately rubbing its head one last time to its owner, the big feline stomped its way towards the girls and let out a mighty roar that shook their wits out of their body in surprise, some of them finding it hard to believe that the shy girl has such a scary Spirit Animal up her sleeve.

 

But Rin was proud of her childhood friend for that, so she gave her a thumbs up and a victorious grin as a good luck sign, Hanayo reciprocating it with a soft smile of her own and a wave of her hand.

 

So without any more thoughts, the six girls trudged towards where the final battle begins, along with their Spirit Animals striving behind them with powerful auras.

 

If they wanted to win this battle, then they need all the help they can get.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The scene before them seemed so surreal that if someone were to say that it was all just an illusion, then they would probably believe it the first time. It wasn’t something that they would ever except, nor would they be able to conclude that this would possibly be the outcome.

 

But no, it was some sort of an impossible situation in their heads, but possible if they were to broaden their imagination.

 

In front of them stood Aleister, hands raised along with the two magical orbs, and Lucas, who was crouched on the ground, binded by magic vines from the ground.

 

Just like how Nico was pinned down from their first encounter with the President.

 

“Hah! How pitiful. The great Magician, finally being bested by me, a mere protege,” his maniacal expression gave them chills, but not as much as they had received from Lucas’s state, “Sadly, you used up most of your powers from your previous fights. I’m afraid all of them were absorbed by these.”

 

He gestures to the two balls of energy on his palms, making their eyes go wide at the sudden realization.

 

Kotori, who seemed to conclude something, was the most affected by that. However, she was also the one who thought of an idea that might help them beat Aleister.

 

However, as much as she wanted to do what she thought was best, she’d rather wait for an opportunity to strike. An opening or a time of weakness for the enemy.

 

And so she waited.

 

“Unfortunately...,” Lucas, who struggled to even stand up from the ground, gritted his teeth as he slowly made his way into a kneeling position, just enough to get him a good view on their opponent, “...I’m not as weak as you think... Thinking that my power is already out...”

 

A large colorless magic circle appeared on his back, overlapping him and somehow draining his remaining strength. At least, that was what it looked like to those around him.

 

And it made Aleister furrow his brows in confusion.

 

“While that may as well be the case this time...,” the Magician grinned one last time before saying his final words, “I would like to give my remaining energy to them... They are, after all...,” his body suddenly dropped onto the ground limply. And he heaved out his last word before his consciousness drifted towards slumber.

 

“...Unstoppable...”

 

And with that, magic circles appeared above the girls, showering them with equally divided power from Lucas, magic as well as energy combined that enhanced their strengths that reached even beyond their limitations.

 

To say that they were surprised was a major understatement. If anything, they were given hope by the Magician himself, saying that he entrusts them with saving the world.

 

Which is exactly what they are going to do.

 

Glaring at the unconscious Lucas, Aleister lowered his arm, the glow of the two orbs disappearing as well as the calamity that was taking place. It was as if he had stopped wreaking havoc into the world, but at the same time, they were unsure about his intentions.

 

The snarling in his face showed them that he wasn’t pleased with Lucas, his words and his actions, “Foolish man... Thinking that giving his limited powers to these unworthy brats is the most efficient way to defeat me... An abomination!”, he hissed through clenched teeth, face contorted and angry.

 

Trying to process what the Magician did made his stomach flip in many ways that made him feel uneasy, “He was stupid to have thought that you can take me down just from an enhancement by him... Truly a disgrace!”

 

Once more, he raised his arms along with the two magical orbs, the bright blue glow now shining blindingly so, enough that it made every pair of eyes shut from the glaring illumination.

 

But this time, the destruction of the world never started. It was as if the effects of the blue orbs didn’t affect the surroundings. Only directed towards the girls and himself.

 

Not long after, the girls started to feel their bodies getting lighter and weaker by the minute, something similar like being sucked out of energy.

 

“What the...,” gritting her teeth, Eli tried to maintain her balance, what with how weak her body feels. If anything, the longer they stay like this, the slimmer their chances are at winning this fight.

 

In resonance, their Spirit Animals also fell into the same faith of having their energy drained. But not as quickly as it was affecting Eli, but enough to have their bodies shake from pressure and fatigue.

 

Umi and Maki felt the same way, needing the support of their Spirit Animals just to get them on an upright position. Honoka was lucky enough to have her large partner as well as Hanayo’s in helping her stand up.

 

Kotori, however, didn’t seem as affected by them and, in all honesty, didn’t feel any weaker. In fact, whatever Aleister was doing to them didn’t seem to include her.

 

And during her observation, Aleister is also immune, so anything that he has that she also possessed may be the clue to why she is unaffected.

 

But there wasn’t anything to suspect except for the blue orb that she also held in her hand.

 

Rin was in the same state, and seeing that she also had a blue orb in her grasp, then everything connected as it should. Anyone holding it was immune.

 

In short, if they got their hands on the two magical orbs that Aleister has, they can stop him from completely depleting the others of their energy.

 

According to her own conclusions, of course. Whether or not she figured the trick, a chance is a chance.

 

“Rin-chan, grab those orbs from him!”, the grey-haired girl shouted towards her younger companion, immediately taking action herself as she quickly dashed towards the enemy’s direction.

 

Not really understanding why Kotori would make her do that, the girl had no choice but to follow, “Roger nya!”, not only that, she had also started to notice how the others around them seemed to be getting weaker and paler by the minute.

 

So right now, she wanted to do whatever plan Kotori has in mind, hoping that it can help with their friends’ situation.

 

Aleister, noticing how two of them can move freely without being depleted of their energy, immediately dashed forward, making the two miss him completely, “It seems like the two of you possess one of my Magic Items... However...”

 

Without any warning though, he went past them and teleported himself in front of Maki, the weak girl barely conscious from loosing too much strength. Unknowingly to her, Aleister appeared and, with no hesitation at all, went straight for her gut, the immense power from his kick alone made her body lift off from the ground and fly a few feet away from them.

 

Rin and Kotori were stuck in their spots when that happened. They may be able to move properly, but if he can teleport like that, there’s a low chance of winning on their part.

 

Seemingly not satisfied with what he did to Maki, Aleister proceeds to do the same to Eli, the blonde barely managing to react to his attack, but her body was too limp to even defend herself. So she was also sent away.

 

But Nozomi’s Spirit Animal managed to catch her on time, unaffected by whatever Aleister was doing to them and, instead, had its full energy at its disposal anytime.

 

Noticing how the purple dragon didn’t falter from having its life force drained, Aleister clicked his tongue and jumped, creating a distance between him and the girls, “How can some of you manage to even stand when I am in the midst of taking your energy?!”, he remarks desperately, eyes wide in anger and frustration.

 

Kotori would dare to answer him with her assumptions, but they weren’t enough to even uphold the truth. Sure, she can say for sure that the reason she and Rin can move is because of the magical orbs they hold.

 

The problem was, how can Nozomi’s Spirit Animal also retain its evasiveness and agility?

 

Another thought lingered: what about her partner?

 

Silently, she called out to her dragon, who was strangely energetic and ready to attack at any moment. Which was a bit weird for her.

 

And upon observation, Rin’s tiger was the same, and was only waiting for its partner’s orders before making a move.

 

So putting her thoughts together, she concluded that whoever possesses the same orb as Aleister’s cannot be affected by its ability, and their Spirit Animals also receive the protection from it.

 

Meaning that, since Nozomi’s partner is unaffected, she must be holding a blue orb as well.

 

All of those thoughts swirled around Kotori’s head, giving her the reassurance that even though they were in a pinch, their efforts won’t be in vain of they did everything that they could at the moment.

 

So she took his frustration as her chance to get a strike from him. Getting help from his partner with a sly wind boost from behind, she zipped past a few boulders and went straight behind the unsuspecting man. And in an instant, she had snatched away one of the orbs that he held.

 

The cost, though, made her lose control on her timing to halt as she proceeded to crash on a tree with a loud thud on her back, eye wincing in pain she sustained. Luckily she had reacted and managed to turn her body around so that she would be smacked behind instead of in front.

 

Eyes widening at the fast events that happened, Aleister gritted his teeth as he tightened his fist that held an orb no more, anger flaring from his aura, “You dare...?!”, he seethes in utter irritation, veins practically popping from all over his forehead. Very much apparent, even to the others.

 

In resonance with Kotori’s actions, the absorption of magic from the others lessened, their body regaining strength bit by bit as they managed to sustain body balance at the little surge of energy.

 

And that made Aleister all the more furious. As such, he lifted the only remaining orb in his hand, making it glow in a very strong and dangerous blue color that made the others wary, “You think you can stop me with stealing one of these?! A bluff, I say! No matter the quantity, so long as my magic reinforces its absorption abilities, then I am capable of—?!”

 

His words were cut off when a strange flash of white passed him, the orb disappearing from his clutches as he reacted violently to the strange occurence, “What in the world?!”, he exclaimed, visibly mad and in a rampage, possibly an uncontrollable outrage by now.

 

And what they saw was something that they have ever seen in the few weeks that they have ventured on this dangerous mission. No, it was much more surprising, and very reassuring.

 

What they saw seemed to be some sort of Spirit Animal, which seemed to take the Spirit part seriously as it was somehow similar to a mirage. It was a large steed that was translucent, at least, and it was illuminating in a light orange glow. Its mane billowed in the wind, the fiery red streaks very noticeable with its light color.

 

Somehow, the thought that a new Spirit Animal came to save them made their hopes go high. And because having more than three Spirit Animals seemed a bit more on the impossible side now, there was only one answer.

 

“I’m afraid you won’t be able to seize the moment you’ve been waiting for, Aleister.”

 

A rather refreshing new voice echoed from behind them, the sounds of footfalls audible even with the grassy terrain. Apparently it came from a brunette. And it was definitely not Hanayo.

 

“Tsubasa-chan!”, Honoka exclaimed in joy as she saw the previously injured girl now striding across the plains with a confident aura around her, taking into account the amount of bandages wrapped around her. Nevertheless, she seemed okay enough to reassure the ginger.

 

And enough to put a snarl on Aleister’s face.

 

“Kira... I see you are doing well, what with how many injuries I have dealt to you...,” his body shakes in anger, eyes twitching every now and then in irritation.

 

And his reaction increased in sync with her confident reply, “I think I’ve rested enough to fight you now. More obstacles can be very stressing, right?”, she tried to play it off as a light sarcastic comment, but it only drove Aleister further into his own emotions.

 

And with her apparent arrival, his anger rose to a dangerous level.

 

But Tsubasa’s participation in this gave hope to Honoka and the others. And it gave them the opportunity to finally counter attack. With that said, it was time for them to get serious.

 

This time, for sure, they were going to get the upper hand and save the world.

 

No matter what.


	46. Final Battle Part 2 (END)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy shit guys! It took me two weeks (TWO FRIGGIN’ WEEKS) just to finish this. I was actually planning on making this a two chapter but... I’d rather have it as just one big chapter. 
> 
> So sorry if the ending feels a bit rushed. I have a lot of reports and school works and homeworks to do, but I’m managing (if not, just barely) to finish this, and I actually did! And wow did I let out a big sigh! 
> 
> The way I kind of made the battle a bit subtle but rushed(?), well, I enjoy writing it. I don’t know if you’ll like it though, but I assure you, my blood, sweat and tears (No, I am NOT a fan of Kpop) weren’t all in vain! 
> 
> Anyways, thanks for all the support! All of you! I really appreciate it all! You’ve made me go through a whole year of making this and I can finally rest! 
> 
> Enjoy the final chapter! If you don’t, I’m not complaining. So don’t force yourself!
> 
> Warning: some major cheesy romance by the end. Just to let you all know, cuz I want the romance to at least appear. Hahaha!

“Tsubasa-chan!”

 

Three other pair of ears perked up at the words Honoka just exclaimed. Although they did not match the ginger’s overly dramatic reaction to the brunette’s arrival, they did share a bit of sentimental glances that showed how deep their friendship was.

 

Kotori and Rin were glad to have Tsubasa in on this, and while their concern for her health stood out, they tried to believe that she was fine enough to even attempt walking in a war zone.

 

And while her entrance made others happy, it also made Aleister shake in pure rage and fury, “I thought you would have died in that cell... I made sure that you would never be able to see the light of day!!”, he yells with so much vigor, the ground shaking along with his temper.

 

But when another familiar voice rang across him, he was definitely not as sober as earlier, “The little push we got from Lucas certainly did miracles though, so I think you’re blaming the wrong person here.”

 

Once again, all eyes turned towards the girl behind them, which happens to be Nozomi, accompanied by Hanayo who was slightly pale from all the healing she did from earlier. The purple-haired girl supported her junior and passed her towards Rin, who was more than ecstatic to see her childhood friend.

 

Now having no more weight on her shoulders, Nozomi once again glanced at Aleister, only this time, she gave her a tone of voice laced with as much sarcasm as possible, “Besides, someone like you who cannot even compare to Lucas’s wits may never be able to accomplish anything, even with your prowess.”

 

The light and effortless shrug she did at the end of her sentence finally made Aleister snap. His eyes were wide with anger and a strong aura began to form on his body, “Shut up... You are not even worthy of being compared to myself... Even with all of your powers combined, it will still be futile!”, he raised the his hand in the air, the silver bracelet shining with vigor that seemed to attempt on getting ahold of the five orbs that the girls now have in their clutches.

 

But it maintained that way only for a short while.

 

In a few seconds, it stopped glowing altogether and had lost any ability to function, stressing out the man even more, “What?! Why did it stop?!”, he yells in anger.

 

“Did you forget that I was the original creator of that? In a sense, I can easily manipulate it. So it’s pretty much useless now,” Tsubasa grins cheekily with a hand outstretched that seemed to be the cause of the bracelet’s inability to activate.

 

And with a high five towards Nozomi, the latter now mockingly gave Aleister her best smirk she could give, “What now? All of your plans keep on failing. Maybe you aren’t capable of taking over the world after all,” she teases, possibly trying to flare up his irritation levels.

 

Which seems to be the case, seeing as Aleister couldn’t be more infuriated than ever, “That is it! I have had it with playing games! I will give you war, and you will never be able to stop me!”

 

His screams resonated with the weather, the dark grey clouds above them compiling and thunder elapsed over the course of his actions. He summoned a strong magical circle in front of him, then fusing his powers with the howling wind and the mighty roar of the lightning, he brought forth a powerful cannon that could possibly wipe out the entire land if given the chance.

 

“Say your prayers, you ignorant fools!”, Aleister angrily yells before unleashing the most destructive power that the girls have ever witnessed in their entire lives, the combination of a furious hurricane incorporated by shockwaves from the massive lightning that blasted through every obstacle in front of it, wiping out even the ground beneath it.

 

Most of them were still recovering from their energy loss, and while Nozomi and Tsubasa were waiting for this moment, their reflex weren’t fast enough to block the attack from reaching them.

 

And as such, only one managed to save the day with using a magic barrier to block the cannon. And while the magical shield was wide enough to defend the entire area of the assault, it wasn’t sturdy alone.

 

But it still didn’t break.

 

Midnight black hair swished along with the violent wind, red eyes flashing dangerously as mutated werewolf arms supported the barrier with pure strength and energy alone. Her head was glowing with a circlet on her forehead, glowing in a bright gold that held numerous mysterious letters along its sides.

 

For once, the girl grunted, a tired and frustrated look on her face, but her grin pretty much said otherwise, “A little help wouldn’t hurt, ya know?!”, she exclaims, struggling with maintaining the barrier as well as fusing with her Spirit Animal.

 

And the girls were surprised to see how she was doing all of that. More or less, it didn’t stop them from happily exclaiming her name in joy and relief.

 

“Nico!”

 

“Don’t “Nico!” me right now! Hurry up and help!”, the black-haired girl clearly looked pissed off even with the look of relief she received from everyone. And although deep down she was happy to see them all again, these circumstances called for a much more serious attitude.

 

Thus, she was forced to stick with her usual irritant demeanor while having to deal with everything going around them.

 

Eight pairs of hands placed themselves on the barrier, four on each of Nico’s sides, those by her side being Eli and Nozomi, who are practically of the same age as the red-eyed lycanthrope. By Nozomi stood Kotori, Umi and Honoka respectively. And by Eli were Maki, Rin and Hanayo.

 

And all eight of them glanced at each other, nodding in unison before giving the barrier a push with their combined energy. Naturally, their Spirit Animals accompanied them and were also giving their best at helping with their defense.

 

Tsubasa, however, chose to stay in the clearing, smirking as she saw the united efforts that Honoka and the gang were exhibiting, “You guys take care of Aleister’s magic. I’ll distract him to the best of my abilities,” she proposes, hopping onto her Spirit Animal and immediately rushing off towards Aleister.

 

The man, although tired and frustrated as he was, managed to notice the steed’s steadfast sprint, imprinting the magic circle to carry on with his assault before dodging the brunette’s incoming frontal strike.

 

Clicking his tongue, Aleister brought out another magic circle in front of him, facing Tsubasa and her partner, “Nuisance! Begone!”, he exclaims in fury before unleashing a torrent of water from his hand, directing it towards the only one trying to get in his way.

 

Grinning, Tsubasa stroked the horse’s mane, a glint in her eyes that lit confusion inside Aleister’s mind, “Let’s show him our true power, partner!”, her Spirit Animal stood proudly on its hind legs and scampers its front pedals, the notion somehow illuminating before they both rush towards him.

 

But instead of heading for Aleister, they were both lifted from the ground, the horse gaining shades of bright red on its legs and body, its silver mane now incorporated with reddish hues halfway towards the roots. And those weren’t the only evident changes.

 

Another change happened that even the other girls were stunned for a bit, everyone completely being blinded by it for a few seconds.

 

In midair, Tsubasa raised her fist, gaining the strength of the sun that seeped through a small crack in the dark clouds above, giving a spotlight to the most noticeable upgrade in her steed—no.

 

More accurately, it would now be called a pegasus.

 

The horse gained a pair of pure white wings, shimmering in the air and shining an elegant light that awed even Aleister, gluing everyone on the ground and having their eyes paralyzed at its magnificence.

 

If anything, that split second made everyone, even Aleister, forget that they were in the verge of fighting for world freedom at the moment.

 

But it was only a mere moment.

 

“Time to dive in, partner!”, Tsubasa yells in excitement as the sun energy on her hand grew brighter and hotter.

 

Her Spirit Animal neighs in command as it flutters its wide wings and descended towards Aleister with the speed that could match the hurricane that he summoned a few moments ago.

 

Knowing that he was in a dangerous spot, Aleister redirected his previous water attack and made it turn towards the sky, aiming for Tsubasa and her partner, “Not while I can still fight!”, he shouts as his hydrophilic attacks heads straight towards the assailant.

 

According to the brunette’s plan, she drops her hand from above and faces it in front of her, fighting the water attack with her sun-powered fist, “Let’s go! Solar Sphere!”, she exclaims with power as she drilled her fist through the whirlpool attack.

 

And as she had expected, the heat from her fist vaporized the attack and made it spread around, making her and her partner pass through his counter with ease. And along the way, her Spirit Animal tucked in its newly-formed wings to increase their descent and reach their attacker faster.

 

Widening his eyes in surprise and dread, Aleister’s arms trembled at their approach. As they were nearing the end of his attack, he couldn’t help but grit his teeth, almost making him drop both of his ongoing attacks.

 

Almost.

 

While he was losing hope on his water cannon, he kept pushing with his lightning hurricane, trying to pry off the pesky barrier that Nico had put up to prevent his strongest technique from going rampant across the world.

 

So when he felt that Tsubasa was a few seconds away from hitting him square on the face, he dodges her just before she could land a hit on him, giving up on his attempt at pushing the brunette away with his assault at her.

 

Although he landed a few feet away from her, his continuous shocking gale force of an attack kept on charging at the nine girls. An unstoppable force, if anything.

 

But Tsubasa trusted them to handle his attack.

So instead of panicking and helping them in stopping it, she opted to face the man with a determined look and a mysterious glint in her eyes, combing her partner’s mane softly and soothingly.

 

“I’m sure they’ll be able to stop your strongest attack. So while they’re at it—”, she then charges at the slightly stricken man, palm glowing in a bright golden hue that radiated with an aura that could seep through the coldest of hearts, “—let’s finish our game,” she smirked when his face dimmed with an irritated look.

 

Glancing back at the others, the brunette shove her glowing palm on his chest, hearing him grunt in pain as she surged forward.

 

“Regulus Force!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Guh... Is it me or is this attack getting stronger by the minute?!”, Honoka creases her brows as she struggled with holding out the shield, along with the others.

 

And although she was in the same predicament as well, Umi seemed to be holding out much better than her childhood friend, “Good point...,” she grunts, having only realized when Honoka told them her observation.

 

And she internally thanked the usual energetic girl for her uncanny ability to detect irregularities that most people were unable to see.

 

Eli, having been enlightened of Honoka’s theory, grinned, but with a pained expression, “I see... So that’s why we’ve been pushed back a little for halfway of the duration...,” she said while glancing down, seeing the dirt trail towards them as a sign that they’ve dug their footwear firmly to have made a dugout track.

 

Rin firmly closed her eyes as she tried to exert her push, Hanayo doing the same on her side as both of them struggled together with fierce determination.

 

Maki could feel their passion to stop the attack. The others too. But even when they’ve clearly given all that they have, they weren’t getting anywhere except getting pushed back.

 

The barrier was clearly sturdy, but that didn’t mean it was unbreakable. They were tired from all of their previous fights, so their combined power, she admitted, was weaker than it would’ve been at their full strength.

 

But she also concluded that Aleister, while being occupied by Tsubasa’s continuous strikes at him, boosted his attack even with his busy stature and distance.

 

That posed as a problem. And it didn’t reassure them even when they clearly outnumber him. Apparently, while quantity was necessary, it didn’t guarantee victory, especially since they all were worn out.

 

Her train of thoughts persevered, but her attention turned towards Nozomi and Kotori, who were both looking at Nico with weird and worried looks, a mix of both, if you can.

 

And not only her, the others seem to catch on to what the two had noticed upon closer inspection on the currently half werewolf girl. She had her head low, but her body pursued with pushing the barrier. Though she didn’t seem to exert much force than most of them.

 

So it wouldn’t be much of a surprise if all of them became concerned with her.

 

“Nicocchi? What’s wrong?”, Nozomi may have felt a bit...

 

...stupid, if you may, for asking such a question when she clearly didn’t feel well. But unless she asks, they wouldn’t know what’s wrong.

 

Hearing the purple-haired girl’s question, said girl flinched. And as slow as she could possibly go, her head rose. And while they would appreciate it if Nico could just hurry up and tell them what’s ailing her, they didn’t want to put pressure on the girl. Mainly because whatever she was feeling could be something dangerous.

 

They didn’t know, so of course their patience were being tested.

 

However, when the lycanthrope finally managed to lift her head and her face clearly visible to everyone now, their faces dropped to a shocked and blank state at what Nico’s current expression was.

 

Clearly it would be very serious if they reacted as much. But, as much as they wanted to sympathize with Nico... well...

 

They’d rather sweat drop at her struggles.

 

“Urgh... My stomach is hurling... I can’t get that... awful stench off of my nose... Guuuuuuh.......”

 

All of them pitied her as her face bloated, as if she was ready to hurl out whatever was clogged at her throat. More so for Maki, who had been with her when she first felt sick at their earlier engagement with the muscualar enemy.

 

And to think she managed to create a shield sturdy enough to stand Aleister’s greatest magic attack, as well as transforming herself successfully into her werewolf form.

 

So to speak, they’d call her a legend for her achievements.

 

But that wasn’t the only feat that Nico made. She was practically paralyzed by whatever odor the enemy produced, getting her subconsciously asleep and nauseous during the whole fight. In other words:

 

She actually pulled off helpful feats while half conscious and having kinetosis from the scent only filtered to them.

 

And for that, they all thought that she could at least take it easy with all the energy she’s been exerting.

 

Maki especially, who, while being too stubborn to admit, kept pushing the black-haired girl to sit out and rest.

 

One more person felt the same way, and even though he wanted her to take it easy, she was the key point for this plan to succeed.

 

With all of his last remaining willpower, Lucas managed to lift himself from the ground, albeit having magical rings that weighed him down. With Aleister’s focus solely on his attack and dodging Tsubasa, he absorbed the man’s magic slowly so as to not attract his attention.

 

Limping towards the girls, he struggled as he placed his hand atop of Nico’s head, gaining the sick girl’s attention as she slowly glanced back at him, eyes hazy from nausea.

 

The man had trouble breathing before he managed to say what he wanted to utter to his dear one week friend from a long time ago, something that he thought would help them in this last resort of theirs.

 

Of course, it will relieve Nico of her promise to him. And so, he whispers the spell before passing out beside her.

 

“Vastile!”

 

A light emanated from Nico’s head, unknown letters forming around her forehead and invisible chains breaking from around it. Slowly but surely, a small orb was released, and it seemed to be what everyone else was thinking.

 

Lucas’s book of spells.

 

“You’ve done well... Nico...,” were Lucas’s words before his strength ran out, leaving him unconscious on the ground, too fatigued to even move an inch.

 

As expected, the book itself emerged from the glowing orb, popping up and then encircled by the same unknown letters and chains, getting locked and, as the others would’ve expected, drop on the ground.

 

Expect the unexpected, as they say.

 

Because it didn’t fall. Instead, it floated away and got absorbed on Nico’s palm, her Cursed Insignia forming on the back of her hand along with the ancient runes that trailed themselves along the edges.

 

The others were awed by the light that glowed a bright red from the raven head’s hand, and because of that, they failed to notice how her face changed.

 

Better yet, how her attitude changed.

 

Instead of the sickened look on her face, she instead adorned a grin and wide eyes, possibly from excitement and whatever positive vibes that suddenly flowed around her.

 

Usually, they would be face palming at her abnormal shift of moods, but it seems to them, this one attitude would be permanent.

 

If anything, this Nico was the typical one they prefer to have along with them right now.

 

“Alright! Now that I’m feeling better, I’m all fired up!”, was the black-haired girl’s energetic and determined exclamation before her eyes showed fire and her half werewolf body bulked up, furs a little spiked at the tension and energy she was giving off as she pushed the barrier forward.

 

And they could see how powerful she was when their previous tracks were now covered as the shield passed over it, getting them back to their former starting point on defense.

 

Apparently, her enthusiasm didn’t end there.

 

“That all you guys got?! I’ve still got a lot in me, ya know!”, shouting as she pushed through, Nico grinned as she glanced at the others, as if daring them to show their best.

 

Well, two of them were more than happy to take her challenge. Goes to show just how much similar they are.

 

“We’re not losing to you/nya!”, both Honoka and Rin said at the same time, giving their all as they pushed the barrier along with Nico, their fellow Spirit Animals also supporting them as they attacked the magical wall to give it a bit more push.

 

Feeling even more excited at the two ginger’s response, the lycanthrope smirked, a spark inside her flickered as she growled, “Yoshi! I won’t lose!”

 

When the three of them alone put their minds together, even Aleister’s most powerful attack couldn’t break through them. In all honesty, the others just stood, too astounded by how they managed to block his attack, heck they even pushed it back without their help.

 

No matter. It didn’t seem like they would be able to push his attack back quickly. So without any delays, all six of them planted their hands flat on the barrier and their feet firmly on the ground. Inhaling first, and when they finally exhaled...

 

All hell broke loose.

 

The nine of them were now in sync, their energy slowly built itself within them as their respective Spirit Animals shared the same burden, shooting their best attacks to push the barrier even further.

 

And their combined efforts bore fruit. Someone was bound to notice.

 

Most especially Aleister.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* * *

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“What the...?!”, too busy with dodging Tsubasa’s rage of attacks, Aleister didn’t have the time and magic to even focus on his attack. His attention was halved, though he showed more towards the brunette in pursuit of him rather than his strongest power.

 

He clicked his tongue, frustrated by how he was cornered at the moment, sweat trickling on the side of his forehead as he tried to think of ways on turning the table around.

 

But dodging, maintaining his assault and thinking of strategies were too much for even the great Governing President to multitask. Whatever power left in him has to end this fight, even if it means sacrifices have to be made.

 

Including himself.

 

“I admit you are all too overbearing for me to battle alone,” he utters with a low tone, Tsubasa stopping her pegasus from flying straight to him and, instead, dropped down a few feet away from him, listening to whatever he was about to babble.

 

Seeing as he looked insecure with his current situation made Tsubasa wary. If anything could happen, she may as well assume it as something that would most likely get them in trouble.

 

But in all honestly, she did thought about Aleister and how he would prefer to laugh in the face of danger. And to her suspicion, she was correct. Though it didn’t just end in a maniacal cackle.

 

He also had a wicked grin. One you cannot just ignore. And something, her instinct, told her to be extra cautious with whatever he was about to do. All of the possibilities may vary, and it may not go according to what Tsubasa had thought of.

 

But trying to prevent it ignorantly was better than nothing.

 

“I guess the only way for me to attain my wishes is to sacrifice everything altogether!”

 

A cold sweat dropped from the brunette’s forehead, lips trembling as she witnessed how his face was becoming too enthusiastic to ignore. More importantly, he didn’t seem all too worried about being cornered. More like...

 

He still had an ace up his sleeve.

 

All of a sudden, multiple small magic circles covered his entire body, from every crook and canny of his anatomy to even the most exposed parts. If Tsubasa could describe it as it was, perhaps she’d say it was similar to how ants would crawl over you if you were covered in sugar.

 

Creepy, but what bothered Tsubasa the most wasn’t that.

 

She began to notice how his ultimate attack didn’t end even when Nico and the others were overpowering it. In fact, it actually looked like it grew in size—at least quadruple as it was, and the damaged area extended to at least breaking off the first layer of the earth.

 

If anything, she’d say that he was just mad earlier. Now, though, he was showing just how powerful he was. In a way, the chills going around her body at the moment told her to stop her distraction plan and, instead, go help the others.

 

Which she did.

 

She had her pegasus glide through the air and curve down towards the others, her Spirit Animal pushing the barrier with its head as heat radiated off from the clash.

 

Tsubasa hopped off from her partner and lent her powers on their efforts on pushing. She was beside Honoka, who only managed a wide smile at her crush, seeing as she got her hands full already.

 

“This is it... He’s finally sacrificing his life for this attack...,” Nico seethed through gritted teeth as her ruby red eyes widened with anticipation at what Aleister’s limitation could be.

 

Nozomi nodded at her, albeit struggling, as she called out her Spirit Animal from the air, making it swoop down and hitting the shield with a strong crash, “Everyone! Bring out everything you’ve got!”, the purple-haired girl yelled.

 

With Kotori following suit, “Including your other Spirit Animals!”, she adds, eyes opening from being tightly closed as she summons her little bird and, along with her other partner, both winged creatures lent their powers along with them.

 

With the order bouncing off in their head, everyone tried to summon their Spirit Animals, now having twice the help instead of one.

 

And with a signal from Nico, who’s body now transforming into that of a pure werewolf form, they all acted at the same time.

 

“Push!”

 

The combined forces of the girls and their Spirit Animals were almost enough to thrust the barrier past the boundaries and reach Aleister’s vulnerable state.

 

Keyword: ALMOST.

 

“Why... isn’t it moving... even by an inch?!”, Nico’s frustrated breath puffs through the barrier, her piercing red eyes trying to point daggers at the man across them, her werewolf form slowly losing its edge as the streaks dissipated from her fur little by little, as if her powers were getting drained from over exerting.

 

Nozomi was in a similar state, but without the signs of losing energy. The tired look on her face was a big giveaway. Alongside her, the small raccoon and the purple dragon held their grounds as their combined efforts were still not enough.

 

Same goes for Kotori, who was sweating profusely as the little bird and silver dragon also gave their efforts to lend them a claw or two, “Is he... really that powerful...?”, she utters in disbelief and difficulty, her eyes slowly closing in tiredness.

 

Both Maki and Eli had their hands full with just concentrating their attacks, but they didn’t look like they can endure the fatigue any longer. The nine tailed fox in the air also did its best with shooting out its blue fox fire, the redhead’s panther and Phoenix also giving a push from the side with slashes and head butts.

 

Rin and Hanayo, who had quadrupedal partners, kept on with the assault as their Apirit Animals alternated in terms of attack time. With the white lion and the tiger charging towards the barrier, the smaller feline and the deer readied in attacking on their turn.

 

Umi wasn’t faring better than the rest, seeing as she had her teeth stuck together in a show of struggling. The furrowed brows and closed eyelids further proved her frustration, the rabbit below her doing its best at delivering multiple kicks. From above, her falcon unleashed claw attacks, giving at least every remaining strength it had left.

 

Honoka, with the help of her bear and dog, was pushing the shield with both arms straight, breath a little shaky from getting a bit lightheaded from all the exertion of energy.

 

Beside her, Tsubasa, who had just arrived, nudged her side on the transparent wall, her winged steed sending air cutters from the air to create force.

 

But their combined efforts still weren’t enough.

 

“Come on...! Move... Gah!”, Nico, in a last attempt, back away for a bit and slammed her whole furry body onto the barrier, though she made it push, it retaliated and went back to where they were now.

 

In turn, her werewolf form vanished and the short girl returned back to being human again, her black wolf beside her, slumped on the ground from too much fatigue.

 

“Nico!”, the rest of the team shouted in worry as the black-haired girl panted while lying on the ground, sweating like crazy.

 

And although they wanted to help her out, they couldn’t let go of the barrier. It would put all of their efforts to waste. Besides, the world is at stake here, and they won’t let Aleister’s plan succeed.

 

Not while they’re around.

 

“One of us is down... Can we even do it?”, Maki thought in doubt, although she hated to admit it. They won’t stand a chance at this rate.

 

But the ragged breathing of a person made her thoughts fly away, “Who said I was already down?”

 

Several pairs of eyes widened at the voice, “Come on, have more faith in me, Maki-chan.”

 

Nico, struggling to stand up, pushed her body upright with her Spirit Animal, who was already on its four legs, as support, “Being tired won’t stop me, ya know,” her grin, for the others, made it seem like she wasn’t pressured or scared.

 

She looked happy, in fact.

 

“We’ll win...,” the Lone Savage utters as she placed both of her hands on the flat surface of the barrier, eyes sparkling and mouth turned up into a lopsided grin.

 

If anything, they’d say that Nico thought of this situation as an ideal victory.

 

“How? All of us have already used up most of our strengths,” Eli eyed the shorter girl beside her, thinking about how confident she was in her words.

 

Nozomi, on the other hand, smiled at the girl, green orbs shimmering in expectation, “You know, you did tell us about your number one partner from before. With his strength, we’re as good as done. Think he can lend a hand?”, voice laced with mischief and tease, the purple-haired girl saw how Nico’s face brightened from her suggestion.

 

“Of course,” the girl’s expression brightened at the thought of it, a giant white magic circle forming behind her, “If anyone is going to help—”

 

Another magic circle of the similar size appeared a few feet away.

 

“—beat the hell—”

 

The two magic circles clashed and passed through each other.

 

“—out of Aleister—”

 

A silhouette of something huge appeared in between the circles.

 

“—then only my partner—”

 

Black and white colored the mysterious figure from head to toe, its size unwavering and intimidating.

 

“—can finish the job!”

 

The bright light disappeared and showed a giant panda, about three times the size of the barrier. Its enormous mass wasn’t the only intimidating part though.

 

If looks could kill, all of them would be put to rest right here and now just from its blank but dark gaze.

 

“This one’s for the win, partner!”, Nico shouted as she withdrew one hand behind her in a punching motion, flames engulfing the whole of her hand, “Let’s go, everyone!”

 

Of course, the others recovered quickly to glance at each other and nod towards Nico’s notion. They did similar poses as they held one of their fists back a little, about to give out their greatest punch in history.

 

“This one’s for all the pain you’ve caused!”, the black-haired girl punched first.

 

And the others followed suit.

 

“For the suffering you’ve given to others!”

 

“For the destruction you’ve done!”

 

“For all the lives you’ve taken!”

 

“For the people you used!”

 

“For the horrible things you’ve done!”

 

“For the calamities you’ve unleashed upon the world”

 

“For neglecting everyone’s feelings!”

 

“For hurting the people I care for!”

 

Nozomi gave everything in that one punch after she said those words, and the barrier, which was supposed to have been suppressed at their starting point, was now far from it and closer to Aleister.

 

One more. They were awaiting for Kotori’s turn, but out of all of them, she was the one who changed the most. She had forgotten most of her grudges because she now had a family of her own to love.

 

And because of that, she unleashed the beast within her. All of her locked up feelings, they all went out, bursted into an array of emotions in one swing.

 

“This is for my parents...,” one punch.

 

“This is for my Spirit Animals,” another swing.

 

“This is for the people!”, another delivered punch.

 

And her last draw, body twisting further to the side, her arm raised and empowered by her strong feelings, eyes burning in passion.

 

This was the final attack.

 

“And this—”, all of the Spirit Animals hovered above her, giving their energy towards her final gambit, her fist radiating in a myriad of colors that represented every power she received from them, “—is for my friends!”

 

Her last swing, the flowing colors in her balled hand glimmering, and body ready to give it all.

 

“Take this!”

 

Once her fist contacted with the barrier, it was as if it had morphed and had been absorbed by her fist, her attack going through and pushing Aleister’s last resort.

 

With the clash of powers, one prevailed. The other didn’t fade, but was instead swallowed by the more competent of the two. And you could guess who it was just from the show of emotions.

 

When Aleister’s hurricane was absorbed by Kotori’s fist, the combined attack grew into a much more powerful and destructive power. It wasn’t containable and a one time thing.

 

Which is why Kotori used it all up to get a clean hit on Aleister’s armor.

 

“NOOOOOOOOOOOO!”

 

The cocoon that Aleister had shielded himself with was shattered, one by one, bit by bit, as Kotori leaped in the air just in time for the man to explode and disappear into thin air, traces of him no longer visible around them.

 

The only remains would be the destruction he left behind. And they wouldn’t easily forget yhe damage he left.

 

But that was not what the others had their eyes on. At least, something more intriguing was happening.

 

If they were hallucinating, then they would really like to continue sleeping. A sight to behold, as they say, but...

 

Was it just them, or does Kotori bear a pair of wings that resembled that of an angel?

 

They can understand, of course, seeing as she was flying in the air, but the wings were just...

 

Well...

 

A miracle.

 

And that was probably the only possible conclusion they could come up with as all of them dropped down on the ground, plopped face first as they tried to swallow up what just happened.

 

Kotori came hovering down on the ground, but the wings on her back disappeared as soon as it formed, making her drop on the ground as well in tiredness.

 

“Did we...,” Eli started, too tired to even open her eyes as they remained closed, no matter how much she wanted to open them.

 

As if reading her thoughts, Nozomi followed up her sentence, “...win?”, she uttered in a hushed tone, throat too raspy to raise her voice.

 

But the others heard them both clearly. Of course, it just made them all the more aware. As if memories came rushing in, they all realized one thing.

 

One.

 

Big.

 

Development.

 

They had won.

 

They had finally beaten Aleister.

 

They were finally free.

 

“WE DID IT!”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few minutes passed by as they all rested up, none of them trying to even stand up. They were all out of energy, but those minutes served as a nap for them to at least stay conscious for a few more minutes. Though they may not be able to move an inch of their bodies, they could still talk.

 

“Can’t believe it took us this long to beat him. And here I thought I could’ve pulverized him if I wasn’t so tired,” Nico grumbles on the side, eyes squinted as she faced the sky with an annoyed look.

 

Of course, Maki opted to retort, even at a time like this, “You couldn’t even push past his attack. How can you even get any hits?”, she utters absentmindedly, as if her body was subconsciously doing it on its own.

 

The black-haired girl barked back, though, “Hey! I made that barrier, remember? If it weren’t for me, we would’ve been crushed by him long before we could even counter back!”

 

Rolling her eyes to the side, the redhead answers, “I’m sure we would’ve come up with a solution either way.”

 

“What did you say?!”

 

Chuckling at their usual banter, Nozomi gave the blonde girl a side glance, gracing her with a smile, “How are you holding up, Elicchi?”

 

Eli only managed a quirk of her brow as she faced the purple-haired girl, “I’m supposed to be the one to ask you that. You’ve been hurt more than I have, after all.”

 

“Aww, is Elicchi worried~? My my, I didn’t expect that,” the slight tease in the green-eyed girl’s voice was barely there.

 

But the blonde was too accustomed to hearing it that she immediately felt the tone in her crush’s words, “Nozomi!”, the blush on her face did somehow betray her attempts on hiding her embarrassment.

 

But it did fuel Nozomi’s desire to tease her more.

 

Meanwhile, Rin and Hanayo were both panting, very much tired from all of the things that had transpired up until now.

 

But even though the fight was over, their hands were intertwined still.

 

“Rin-chan?”, the brown-haired girl had a calm expression on her face, looking at the clouds passing by above her.

 

Said girl faced her childhood friend when her name was called, “Kayo-chin nya? What’s up?”

 

To say that she wasn’t expecting her words was an understatement. The orange-haired girl was definitely not prepared for what was about to come.

 

But it didn’t stop her heart from beating wildly in her chest.

 

“Suki da...”

 

The blush was set on the ginger head’s face, and she couldn’t utter any coherent words to even respond to her friend’s... sudden confession.

 

So the only answer she could afford was with a fine grip on their twined hands.

 

Rin did notice the tint of pink dusted on Hanayo’s cheeks, but she was in the same predicament as well. So as much as she’d like to give her a proper response, they both remained the same, none of them making a move.

 

But both of them knew what they wanted to say. And as wordless as their closure was, the presence of the other by them was more than enough reassurance for their feelings.

 

Honoka, who saw how the development her two juniors were progressing, made her feel happy deep inside. No matter how dense she is, she can at least notice the subtle looks they both gave each other.

 

Doesn’t help that she seemed to be in the same situation as well.

 

“Ne, Tsubasa-chan...,” she murmurs softly, only having the brunette beside her hear it.

 

Tsubasa raised a brow at her, a clueless look on her face, “What is it, Honoka?”, she asks, turning her head to look at the ginger-haired girl.

 

She didn’t take into account whatever she was about to say though.

 

“I kind of like you.”

 

Those simple words didn’t pass by Tsubasa’s ears as simple as they were said. It left quite an effect on her, of course. The bright blush on her face definitely wasn’t something that could be said as a fleeting thing.

 

Of course, Honoka was blushing herself.

 

Having been embarrassed, both the speaker and the listener, made them both shut up, afraid how the other would react.

 

But Tsubasa could care less about that now. It was over after all, the fighting and stuff.

 

“I like you, too.”

 

And she could swear Honoka brightened up when she heard her, both her reddened face and her happy expression.

 

The brunette just chuckled, thinking how unusual their confession was. But it seems like it was worth it.

 

Kotori and Umi, though...

 

Safe to say, both of them were already aware about their status—or not. The bluenette could’ve sworn she felt possessiveness back then when Kotori hugged her tightly, away from Lucas of all people.

 

If she wasn’t wrong, she’d think that the grey-haired girl was jealous, which is the best conclusion she could come up with.

 

So when they both heard the casual acts of love from the others, they couldn’t help but feel being in a similar predicament. Kotori mostly, who still struggled on saying her feelings.

 

She was about to speak everything off. But lights glowed around them. It was sudden, and it made the others somehow become attentive to the surrounding.

 

If they weren’t so tired and beaten up, this would’ve made then react violently. But they knew the facts and theories, so they let nature take its course.

 

All of their respective Spirit Animals glanced at them with sincere and grateful gazes, their bodies slowly turning into little bubbles of light that floated above ever so carefully.

 

And with how they were about to disappear from the face of the Earth, protests were very much given.

 

But in this case, the girls knew that their time was up in this world. That they needed to go back to their own safe haven. That they needed to let them go, no matter how hard it was.

 

Surprisingly, though, it was easy for them to let them leave. Maybe because they’ve known each other for a long time that they knew what they were feeling. Or that they knew it was about to happen and prepared themselves mentally for the day to arrive.

 

Whatever the case was, their disappearance was as beautiful as their existence in their lives. And they couldn’t be more grateful.

 

“I’m glad that my sin can finally reverse its effects,” Lucas, who appeared to be in perfect condition, uttered with a smile on his face, looking at the sight in front of him.

 

The girls, slowly and bit by bit, rose from the ground and faced their own partners, who were halfway to dissipating. They gave smirks and strokes on their Spirit Animals, a sign of affection that may leave them a momentum in their hearts.

 

The Magician gave a peaceful sigh to everyone, glancing up towards the sky in harmony with the lights, “I am eternally grateful for all of you.”

 

The girls gave one last glance at their Spirit Animals before raising their heads, following the floating lights of their once called partners as they turned into glittering dust in the sky.

 

All of them shed tears, but they never did look sad at all. In fact, their conscience were cleansed and, as such, they are finally free from their burdens.

 

The world was finally saved. But it will take a lot of work for them to fix whatever disasters Aleister left them with.

 

Besides, they had their magic, they have their wills, and most importantly, they have each other.

 

“Umi-chan.”

 

The words stuck on the grey-haired girl’s mind was lodged, but thinking that enough was enough, she grabbed the bluenette’s hand and abruptly made her look in her direction.

 

“I love you,” the straight confession made the others gawk at the sudden boldness that Kotori displayed, most especially the recipient of said confession. Anyone would think that this was too sudden, but for Kotori, this was the perfect time.

 

Face flushed in deep red, Umi couldn’t help but turn her head away in embarrassment. But she did appreciate the confession.

 

Only problem was how she can tell Kotori she also loved her when words won’t come out from her mouth.

 

So, instead of trying to at least say her reply, she did the only thing she can manage.

 

Of course, actions speak louder than words.

 

She kissed her, full on the lips, just a light peck before retracting and blushing like the shy romantic she was.

 

Of course, this also made the others explode in a light pink hue, Lucas included, as he had not seen this coming. Especially not from Umi.

 

Kotori, though, blinked away a few times before her brain registered what just happened. With everything that had just transpired, her thoughts were lagging.

 

But she did get the message. Definitely.

 

Just from the shade of red on her cheeks, she was sure that her blush was there, but not as strong as Umi’s.

 

So with a light giggle, the grey-haired girl nuzzled her cheek with Umi’s, hugging the girl with all of her might in happiness.

 

The others were, of course, happy with their development as they dwelled on how they can also proceed with the next step with their respective partners, like Kotori. She was definitely a role model for them.

 

And Lucas, being the only one who was out of the picture without a significant other, gave them a curious gaze and mischievous smiles.

 

“Best to save all of that for later,” he hated to break the atmosphere, but a lot of work was needed to be done, he thought helplessly.

 

Everyone nodded at him, the two now official couples as well.

 

It wasn’t everyday that things like these happen. And they weren’t really the type to run away from responsibilities.

 

It was just like a dream come true. It felt like it was only yesterday that they were still strangers to each other. And their connection right now was definitely worth every sacrifice they made.

 

They were going to move on with the next chapter of their lives. And with a family to look out for and be with, things were going to get better.

 

They just need to take the first step, and they can do just about anything.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

E.N.D.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all once again! Till the next time I think of something (maybe never). Hahahaha!


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